Environment of Pr in fluorozirconate glasses: An XAFS and anomalous X-ray scattering study

Abstract

We present a combined X-ray Absorption and Anomalous X-ray Scattering (AXRS) study of the local atomic structure around Pr in fluorozirconate glasses. Exploiting the high flux available at high energy at third generation sources, Pr K-edge (≈ 42 keV) data was taken at the GILDA beamline of ESRF. We present data obtained with both techniques on a Pr-doped (10000 ppm), unmodified, fluorozirconate glass, which complement our recently published EXAFS investigation on modified glasses. The common conclusion is that the local Pr environment is independent from the doping precursor and that no first or second shell Pr-Pr correlations are present, even in samples having a Pr3+ concentration of 10000 ppm, i.e. one order of magnitude higher than the concentration quenching limit.