Crystallization effect on rare-earth activated biocompatible glass-ceramics

Abstract

In this work we report the influence of the crystallization stage of the host matrix on the spectroscopic properties of rare earth ions in CaSiO 3/Ca3(PO4)2 biocompatible eutectic glass-ceramics grown by the laser floating zone technique. The microstructural analysis shows that either a growth rate increase or a rod diameter decrease leads the system to a structural arrangement from three (two crystalline and one amorphous) to two phases (one crystalline and one amorphous). The crystalline phases correspond to apatite-like and Ca2SiO4 structures. Site-selective laser spectroscopy allows to distinguish between crystalline and amorphous environments for the Nd3+ ions and to correlate the spectroscopic properties with the microstructure of these eutectics. © 2013 SPIE.