Fluorophosphate glasses containing manganese

New fluorophosphate glasses based on MnF₂, NaPO₃ and MF_n (M=Zn²⁺, Sr²⁺, Mg²⁺, Ba²⁺, Li⁺, Na⁺ and K⁺) have been synthesised and characterized. Large vitreous areas were observed. Samples of 4 mm in thickness have been obtained. These glasses are easy to prepare and stable in ambient air. Depending on the composition and the nature of the M cation, glass transition temperature, T_g, lies between 230 and 314 °C, crystallisation temperature, T_x is between 320 and 475 °C. These glasses are pink coloured, and infrared transmission extends up to 4.5 μm with extrinsic OH⁻ absorption band at 3200 cm⁻¹ and other bands around 2200 and 1600 cm⁻¹ that relate to PO₄ tetrahedron vibration. Other physical properties including density, microhardness, Young modulus, thermal expansion and refractive index were investigated and correlated to composition.     

On the optical properties of some layer compounds

The paper deals with the optical properties of single crystals near the fundamental absorption edge of the following layer compounds: Sn S_x Se_2−x (where 0 x 2), ZrS₂, ZrSe₂, TiS₂ and CdI₂. The dispersion curves were determined from the transmitted interference fringes in the range between 0.5 and 3.5 μm. Energy gaps were found to be due to phonon assisted indirect transitions. Birefringence data are also given for a number of crystals in the visible region.     

Nonlinear optical properties of sol-gel-type glasses containing oxidized Cu2Se nanoparticles

Nonlinear absorption of sol-gel-type glasses containing oxidized Cu₂Se nanoparticles (25 nm in radius) is investigated with the aid of the picosecond excitation-probing technique. The oxidation of Cu₂Se nanoparticles leads to the appearance of a wide absorption band, which has a maximum roughly at 1 μm and which is bleached on exposure to laser pulses. The time of relaxation of the bleached state approaches 300 psec, and the cross section for absorption at 1.06 μm is equal to about 1.3·10⁻¹⁶ cm², as evaluated from the measured absorption saturation curve. The regime of Q-switching is obtained for a number of solid-state lasers with generation wavelengths 1.06, 1.34, and 1.54 μm, when sol-gel-type glasses containing oxidized Cu₂Se nanoparticles were used as passive shutters. Translated from Zhurnal Prikladnoi Spektroskopii, Vol, 67, No. 2, pp. 203–207, March–April, 2000.     

EPR investigations of calcium phosphate glasses containing manganese ions

Glasses of the xMnO·(100−x)[yP₂O₅·CaO] systems, with y=1, 2, 3 and 0≤x≤50 mol% MnO were prepared and investigated by means of electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR). The local order in diamagnetic vitreous matrices could be revealed by the Mn²⁺ paramagnetic ions used in EPR experiments. In each systems corresponding to a particular value of y, the effect of increasing the MnO content in the samples was investigated. The structure of our glasses shows an evolution depending of MnO content from structural units involving Mn²⁺ ions in well defined vicinities, to structural units containing clustered manganese ions. The changes of the linewidth and the intensity of the resonance line centered at g_eff≈2.0 when the content of manganese ions are increasing revealed this evolution.     

Spectroscopic and optical properties of Nd doped fluorine containing alkali and alkaline earth zinc-aluminophosphate optical glasses

Nd³⁺ doped fluorine containing zinc-aluminophosphate glasses have been prepared with alkali and alkaline earth content to understand the effect of network modifiers on radiative process. The physical and optical properties of these glasses have been evaluated. The Judd-Ofelt model for the intensity analysis of induced electric dipole transitions has been applied to the measured oscillator strengths of the absorption bands to determine the three phenomenological intensity parameters Ω₂, Ω₄ and Ω₆ for each glass. Using these parameters, transition probability (A), total transition probability (A_T), branching ratios (β_R) radiative life times (τ_R) and integrated cross-section (σ_a) for the stimulated emission have been theoretically calculated for certain excited Nd³⁺ fluorescent levels. From the obtained results the conclusion is made about the possibility of using these glasses as laser material.     

Evaluation of optical parameters of some tellurite glasses

Evaluation of optical parameters of tellurite glasses in the form: 80TeO₂-5TiO₂-(15-x) WO₃-xA_nO_m, where xA_nO_m = 0.01, 1, 3, 5 Nb₂O₅ or 0.01, 0.1, 1, 3 Nd₂O₃ or 0.01, 0.1, 1, 3, 5, 7 Er₂O₃ mol% will be carried out. The optical parameters will be focused on calculating molar refractivity, molar polarizability, oxide ion polarizability, molar cation polarizability, optical basicity, metallization and number of polarizable atoms per unit volume for every glass composition in order to interpret the refractive index of these glasses.     

Photoinduced changes in optical properties of Ga-Sb-Ge-Se glasses

The kinetics of photoinduced effects on Ga₅Sb₁₀Ge₂₅Se₆₀ thin film exposed to continuous wave laser radiations are studied as a function of exposure time and laser intensity. The transmission and reflection spectra of thin films before and after exposure are investigated. The optical band gap and the refractive index are derived from the above spectra. Generalized Miller's rule and linear refractive index are used to find the nonlinear susceptibility and nonlinear refractive index of the thin films. The studies show a red shift in the band gap with increase in exposure time and laser power which is attributed to the photoinduced darkening in the films.     

Nonlinear optical properties of commercial semiconductor-doped glasses

We report new observations made on semiconductor-doped glasses commercially available. We have observed that the modulus of the Kerr susceptibility is proportional to the absorption coefficient below, across and above the gap. We have measured the phase of this susceptibility for various values of the excess energy. We have also observed a blue shift of the absorption edge following pulsed excitation and have measured the diameter of the crystallites to be 70–80 Å. The band-filling model is the most appropriate to account for the nonlinear properties of these glasses.     

X-ray study of some spinels containing gallium and manganese

The ternary oxides CrMnGaO₄, NiMnGaO₄, CuMnGaO₄ and ZnMnGaO₄, crystallize in the cubic spinel structure with lattice parametera=8.41±0.02 Å, 8.34±0.02 Å, 8.36±0.02 Å and 8.32±0.02 Å, respectively. The oxidation state of manganese in these spinels was determined x-ray spectroscopically. The site distribution was determined from the structural properties and calculated site preference energies of cations in the lattice. The ionic structures were found to be Ga³⁺ [Mn²⁺ Cr³⁺] O ₄ ^2? . Ga³⁺ [Cu²⁺ Mn³⁺] O ₄ ^2? , Mn²⁺ [Ga³⁺ Ni³⁺] O ₄ ^2? and Zn²⁺ [Mn³⁺ Ga³⁺] O ₄ ^2? .     

Elucidation of the crystallization kinetics for sodium-alumino-silicate glasses containing different amounts of manganese oxide

The glass samples [40SiO₂?+?5Al₂O₃?+?{55???x}Na₂O?+?xMnO₂] where x?=?0.05, 0.2, 0.4, 0.6, 0.8, and 1?mol% MnO₂ before and after being heat treated were subjected to X-ray diffraction. The diffraction lines provided clear evidence of the nucleation and growth, which are characteristic of sodium silicate phase. Crystallization studies were conducted using differential thermal analysis. Crystallization peak temperatures were identified and the transformed fractions were determined. Both the rate of growth, K ₀, and the activation energy, E, depend on the influence of manganese ions in the glass network as a modifier or as a former and the manganese content. The values of the Avrami parameter, n, were calculated using two methods and were in excellent agreement. The process of nucleation and growth rate depends on the manganese content.     

Structural and optical properties of lithium borobismuthate glasses

Glasses with compositions 25Li₂O-(75−x)Bi₂O₃-x B₂O₃, with 0?x?30 mol%, have been prepared using the melt quenching technique. The density and the molar volume have been determined. IR spectroscopy is used as a structural probe of the nearest neighbor environment in the glass network. The optical transmittance and reflectance spectrum of the glasses have been recorded in the wavelength range 400-1100 nm. The values of the optical band gap E_g^opt for indirect transition and refractive index have been determined for 0?x?30 mol%. The average electronic polarizability of the oxide ion α_o²⁻ and the optical basicity have been estimated from the calculated values of the refractive indices. Variations in the different physical parameters such as the density, molar volume, optical band gap, refractive index, average electronic polarizability of the oxide ion and optical basicity with B₂O₃ content have been analyzed and discussed in terms of the changes in the glass structure.     

Thermal and optical properties of Er-doped oxyfluorotellurite glasses

Er³⁺-doped oxyfluorotellurite glasses with four different concentrations of Er³⁺ ions have been prepared and investigated their thermal, optical absorption, excitation and luminescence properties. From the DSC spectra, glass transition and onset of crystallization temperatures have been found. Judd-Ofelt intensity parameters have been derived from the absorption spectrum and are in turn used to calculate radiative properties for the important luminescent levels of Er³⁺ ions. The calculated radiative properties are comparable to experimental values. The glasses show intense green and weak red emission under normal excitation with 451 nm. The decrease in emission intensities and lifetimes of the ⁴S_3/2 level with concentration of Er³⁺ ions has been explained as due to energy transfer processes between Er³⁺ ions. The stimulated emission cross-sections and quantum efficiencies of the green and infrared emissions have been determined. The results indicate that the glasses may be suitable for use as a laser medium in making solid-state green laser by normal pumping route and as laser medium and optical amplifier in the 1.5 μm region.     

On some properties of the entropy of a system containing a black hole

We show that the entropy of a system constituted by a massive Schwarzschild black hole in stable thermal equilibrium with black body radiation is superadditive in Landsberg's sense. Furthermore, we comment on some consequences arising from the negative character of the heat capacity of that system.     

Photoinduced changes in optical and contact properties of chalcogenide glasses

Photoinduced changes in optical and contact properties in thin films of glasses of As-Se and As-S systems are studied experimentally. The changes detected in the optical constants and parameters of the potential barrier at the interface between a metal and a chalcogenide vitreous semiconductor are explained by the rearrangement of the glass host under the action of radiation.     

Studies on some alkali-phosphate glasses containing antimony and iron oxides

The effect of heat treatment on the Fe²⁺/Fe³⁺ ratio in some alkali phosphate glasses containing antimony and iron oxides has been investigated. Differential thermal analysis, Mossbauer spectroscopy, magnetic susceptibility and density measurements as well as the molar volume calculations were used in this study. The obtained data indicate that all glasses show approximately unchangeable stability. It is found, from the area under the Mossbauer absorption spectra that ferrous transformed gradually to ferric ions and the transformation rate constant was found to be 48 min⁻¹. The elapsed time was found to be 160 min. This transformation represents a first-order solid state reaction. The molar magnetic susceptibility measurements confirm the above results.     

Preparation and optical spectroscopy of phosphate glasses containing divalent europium ions

P2O5.BaO.Na2O.K2O glasses doped with various content of Eu2O3 were prepared using high temperature melting method, and the Eu2+ ions in the phosphate glasses were obtained with the aid of the reductive action of silicon powder. The fabricating conditions, fluorescence, excitation spectra of the glasses were then studied. The glasses containing europium show a broad emission band at 450 nm and sharp bands from 580 to 650 nm, and the co-existence of Eu2+ and Eu3+ is identified. Also, a good glass with a dominant proportion and large quantity of Eu2+ ions can be obtained by the reductive action of silicon powder and proper processing.