Photoluminescence in glasses and glass ceramics

Abstract

Photoluminescence in the UV-VIS region is a very sensitive analytical method and also an important optical property of glasses and glass ceramics for different applications which depends strongly on active centers, surrounding host glass composition and their interactions. Fluoride, phosphate, and silicate glasses of high intrinsic UV transmission and high purity doped with active luminescent ions of different electronic configurations (s2: As 3+, Sb3+, Sn2+, Pb2+; d0: Ti4+, Nb+, Mo6+, Ta5+, W 6; d10: Zn2+, Ag+ and Cu +, d5: Mn2+, fn like Sm 3+, Eu3+, Eu2+, Tb3+) were investigated. Some glasses were transformed in glass ceramics. Distribution of coordination and change in the case of Zn2+ and Mn2+ were detected. Mn2+ can substitute Zn2+ in glass and also in crystal phases, Zn2SiO4 (willemite) and ZnAl 2O4 (gahnite). But the larger RE ions cannot do it. So, the luminescence can be increased or decreased by the transformation of glasses in glass ceramics. Blue, green and red photoluminescence emission with various lifetimes, τe ∼ 1 μs to 25 ms, were registered. © 2009 IOP Publishing Ltd.