Spectroscopic Properties and Thermal Stability of Er3+-Doped Germanotellurite Glasses for Broadband Fiber Amplifiers

The thermal stability and spectroscopic properties of Er₂O₃-doped TeO₂–GeO₂–ZnO–Na₂O–Y₂O₃ glasses for 1.5 μm fiber amplifiers were investigated. The thermal stability of the 75TeO₂·20ZnO· 5Na₂O glass was improved by introducing GeO₂ and Y₂O₃. The radiative transition and the nonradiative transition have a dominant influence on the ⁴I_13/2 level lifetime of Er³⁺ in high- and low-GeO₂ regions, respectively. Adding Y₂O₃ increases the ⁴I_13/2 level lifetime of Er³⁺ significantly. The Judd–Ofelt (J-O) parameter Ω₆ shows a strong correlation with the 1.5 μm emission bandwidth; and the larger the Ω₆, the wider the bandwidth.     

Synthesis of Phase-Pure Pb(ZnxMg1–x)1/3Nb2/3O3 up to x= 0.7 from a Single Mixture via a Soft-Mechanochemical Route

Phase-pure perovskite Pb(Zn _x Mg_{1– x} )_1/3Nb_2/3O₃ solid solution (PZ _x M_{1– x} N) is obtained for x ≦ 0.7 by heating a milled stoichiometric mixture of PbO, Mg(OH)₂, Nb₂O₅, and 2ZnCO₃·3Zn(OH)₂·H₂O at 1100°C for 1 h. Percent perovskite ( f _P) with respect to total crystalline phase decreases with increasing temperature of subsequent heating then increases to 900°C for the mixtures where x ≦ 0.8 and milled for 3 h. For mixtures with x = 0.9 and x = 1, f _P decreases monotonically. Curie temperature increases almost linearly with increasing x up to x = 0.7. The maximum dielectric constant at 1 kHz is 2×10⁴ and 1.7×10⁴ for the mixture with x = 0.4 and x = 0.7, respectively. The stabilization mechanism of strained perovskite is discussed.     

Porous Glass-Ceramic in the CαO–TiO2–P2O5 System

A porous glass-ceramic in the CaO–TiO₂—P₂O₅ system has been prepared by crystallization and subsequent chemical leaching of the corresponding glass. By applying a two-step heat treatment to 45CaO · 25TiO₂· 30P₂O₅ glasses containing a few mol% of Na₂O, volume crystallization results in the formation of dense glass-ceramics composed of CaTi₄(PO₄)₆ and β-Ca₃(PO₄)₂ phases. By leaching the resultant glass ceramics with HCI, β-Ca₃(PO₄)₂ is selectively dissolved out, leaving a crystalline CaTi₄(PO₄)₆ skeleton. The surface area and mean pore radius of the porous glass-ceramics were approximately 40 m²/g and 13 nm, respectively.     

Phase Relations in the System Bi2O3-WO3

Phase relations in the system Bi₂O₃-WO₃ were studied from 500° to 1100°C. Four intermediate phases, 7Bi₂O₃· WO₃, 7Bi₂O₃· 2WO₃, Bi₂O₃· WO₃, and Bi₂O₃· 2WO₃, were found. The 7B₂O · WO₃ phase is tetragonal with a ₀= 5.52 Å and c ₀= 17.39 Å and transforms to the fcc structure at 784°C; 7Bi₂O₃· 2WO₃ has the fcc structure and forms an extensive range of solid solutions in the system. Both Bi₂O₃· WO₃ and Bi₂O₃· 2WO₃ are orthorhombic with (in Å) a ₀= 5.45, b ₀=5.46, c ₀= 16.42 and a ₀= 5.42, b ₀= 5.41, c ₀= 23.7, respectively. Two eutectic points and one peritectic exist in the system at, respectively, 905°± 3°C and 64 mol% WO₃, 907°± 3°C and 70 mol% WO₃, and 965°± 5°C and 10 mol% WO₃.     

Formation of Sm2+ lons in Sol-Gel-Derived Glasses of the System Na2 O-Al2O3-SiO2

Samarium ions (Sm²⁺) incorporated into aluminosilicate glasses by a sol-gel process showed persistent spectral hole burning at room temperature. Gels of the system Na₂O-Al₂O₃SiO₂ synthesized by the hydrolysis of Si(OC₂H₅)₄, Al(OC₄H₉)₃, CH₃ COONa, and SmCl₃·6H₂O were heated in air at 500°C, then reacted with H₂ gas to form Sm²⁺ ions. Whereas Al³⁺ ions effectively dispersed the Sm³⁺ ions in the glass structure, Na⁺ ions were not effective. The Al₂O₃-SiO₂ glasses proved appropriate for reacting the Sm³⁺ ions with H₂ gas and exhibited the intense photoluminescence of Sm²⁺ ions. The reaction of Sm³⁺ ions with H₂ in the Al₂O₂-SiO₂ glasses was determined by first-order kinetics, and the activation energy equaled 95 kJ/mol. At 800°C, the maximum photoluminescence of the Sm²⁺ ions was achieved within 20 min.     

Proton Conductivity in Zr4+-Ion-Doped P2O5–SiO2 Porous Glasses

The effect of zirconium ions on glass structure and proton conductivity was investigated for sol-gel-derived P₂O₅–SiO₂ glasses. Porous glasses were prepared through hydrolysis of PO(OCH₃)₃, Zr(OC₄H₉)₄, and Si(OC₂H₅)₄. Chemical bonding of the P⁵⁺ ions was characterized using ³¹P-NMR spectra. The phosphorous ions, occurring as PO(OH)₃ in the ZrO₂-free glass, were polymerized with one or two bridging oxygen ions per PO₄ unit with increased ZrO₂ content. The chemical stability of these glasses was increased significantly on the addition of ZrO₂, but the conductivity gradually decreased from 26 to 12 mS/cm at room temperature for 10P₂O₅·7ZrO₂·83SiO₂ glass. A fuel cell was constructed using 10P₂O₅·5ZrO₂·85SiO₂ glass as the electrolyte; a power of ∼4.5 mW/cm² was attained.     

Phase Formation in the System Na2O · Al2O3-CaO · A12O3-Al2O3 at 1200°C in Air

Phase relations in the system Na₂O_· Al₂O₃-CaO· Al₂O₃-Al₂O₃ at 1200°C in air were determined using the quenching method and high-temperature X-ray diffraction. The compound 2Na₂O · 3CaO · 5Al₂O₃, known from the literature, was reformulated as Na₂O · CaO · 2Al₂O₃. A new compound with the probable composition Na₂O · 3CaO · 8Al₂O₃ was found. Cell parameters of both compounds were determined. The compound Na₂O · CaO-2Al₂O₃ is tetragonal with a = 1.04348(24) and c = 0.72539(31) nm; it forms solid solutions with Na₂O · Al₂O₃ up to 38 mol% Na₂O at 1200°C. The compound Na₂O · 3CaO · 8Al₂O₃ is hexagonal with) a = 0.98436(4) and c = 0.69415(4) nm. The compound CaO · 6Al₂O₃ is not initially formed from oxide components at 1200°C but behaves as an equilibrium phase when it is formed separately at higher temperatures. The very slow transformation kinetics between β and β "-Al₂O₃ make it very difficult to determine equilibrium phase relations in the high-Al₂O₃ part of the diagram. Conclusions as to lifetime processes in high-pressure sodium discharge lamps can be drawn from the phase diagram.     

Growth of α-Al2O3 Crystals by Na2O Evaporation

A technique for growing α-Al₂O₃ crystals is described in which Na₂O·11Al₂O₃ is dissolved in a liquid of composition Na₂O·4TiO₂·3Al₂O₃. Alpha Al₂O₃ is precipitated as Na₂O evaporates from the system; Na₂O·11Al₂O₃ serves as a source of Al₂O₃, and Na₂O in the liquid. The content of solids in the mixture is always such that it does not melt completely. The size of the α-Al₂O₃ crystals grown is related to the Na₂O content of the composition. Crystals as large as 4000 by 3000 μm in the α-axis direction and 500 μm in the c -axis direction have been grown.     

Effect of Molybdenum on the Structure and on the Crystallization of SiO2–Na2O–CaO–B2O3 Glasses

Crystallization of the poorly durable Na₂MoO₄ phase able to incorporate radioactive cesium must be avoided in SiO₂–Al₂O₃–B₂O₃–Na₂O–CaO glasses developed for the immobilization of Mo-rich nuclear wastes. Increasing amounts of B₂O₃ and MoO₃ were added to a SiO₂–Na₂O–CaO glass, and crystallization tendency was studied. Na₂MoO₄ crystallization tendency decreased with the increase of B₂O₃ concentration whereas the tendency of CaMoO₄ to crystallize increased due to preferential charge compensation of BO₄⁻ entities by Na⁺ ions. ²⁹Si MAS NMR showed that molybdenum acts as a reticulating agent in glass structure. Trivalent actinides surrogate (Nd³⁺) were shown to enter into CaMoO₄ crystals formed in glasses.     

Leaching of Glasses with Molar Composition 20Na2O · 10RO ·x Al2O3· (70-x)SiO2

Sodium depth profiles were determined in water-leached glass samples with molar composition 20Na₂O · 10RO · x Al₂O₃· (70 - x)SiO₂ (RO = CaO, MgO, and ZnO) using secondary ion mass spectrometry. The leaching of sodium ions decreases with increasing Al₂O₃ content in all three glass systems. For x = 0 the leaching is hardly affected by the nature of the divalent cation. For x = 5 and 10 the corrosion resistance is highest for the glass containing ZnO, and for the glasses containing ZnO and MgO, respectively. These glasses correspond to those with the smallest fraction of NBOs. From all these results it is concluded that the nonbridging oxygen atoms play an important role in promoting the leaching of a glass.     

Glass-Forming Ability and Crystallization Tendency Evaluated by the DTA Method in the Na2O–B2O3–Al2O3 System

In order to evaluate the crystallization tendency of glasses, the ratio of the crystallization temperature to the liquidus temperature ( T _c/ T _L) was obtained by DTA measurement for the Na₂O–B₂O₃ and Na₂O–B₂O₃–Al₂O₃ systems. The critical cooling rate for glass formation ( Q *) was also measured. The measurements were performed in the composition range of (100 − x )Na₂O–( x )B₂O₃, ( x = 25–35 and 60–100 mol%), and (100 − y )0.5Na₂O·0.5B₂O₃−( y )Al₂O₃, ( y = 6–34 mol%). The relationship between T _c/ T _L and Q * was discussed. A linear relationship between T _c/ T _L and log Q * for these systems was found. Furthermore, the relationship between T _c/ T _L and Q * was verified by computer simulation based on the crystallization kinetics of glass or supercooled liquid.     

Polymer Mixtures in Na2O.Sb2O3.GeO2 Glasses

Ternary Na₂O.Sb₂O₃.GeO₂ glasses (with various [Na]/[Na + Sb] ratios) that contained ≥65 mol% GeO₂ were prepared. Their densities (volumes), refractive indices, and infrared spectra were determined and their colors noted. The ternary glasses with ≥88 mol% GeO₂ exhibit nearly additive volumes, refractivities, and frequencies for the main Ge-O vibration. Ternary glasses with lesser amounts of GeO₂ exhibit a variety of behaviors, depending on the [Na]/[Na + Sb] ratio. Small amounts of Sb₂O₃ cause significant volume and refraction deviations, as well as changes in ν_Ge-O, that can be associated with gradual elimination of GeO₆ octahedra. All the information supports a model for the glasses with 65 to 88 mol% GeO₂ that involves a degree of depolymerization that is greater when Na₂O and Sb₂O₃ are present together than when either is present alone.     

Photochemical Hole Burning and Local Structural Change in Sm2+-Doped Borate Glasses

Photochemical hole burning (PHB) not only can be applied for data storage systems but also serves as a powerful method for studying the local structure around optical centers. The present work investigated the effects of aluminum, magnesium, and silicon ions on hole burning and the phonon sideband for borate glasses that exhibit PHB at room temperature. Hole burning was measured for the ⁵ D ₀₋₇ F ₀ transition of Sm²⁺ and the phonon sideband spectrum for the ⁵ D ₀-⁷ F ₀ transition of Eu³⁺. The hole width was closely related to local structural change, especially as it seemed to decrease with decreases in the number of nonbridging oxygens produced around the rare-earth ions. In the case of sodium aluminoborate glasses, the hole width decreased considerably with increasing alumina content. The ratio Γ_ih/Γ_h for 85B₂O3·10Al₂O₃·5Na₂O·1Sm₂O₃ glass, then, was 80 at room temperature, the largest value ever reported.     

Volume Relations in Na2O·B2O3 and Na2O·SiO2 B2O3, Melts at 1300·C

Density (and some viscosity) data are presented for binary sodium borate melts containing as much as 60 mole % Na₂O and for ternary sodium silicoborate melts with B/Si <2.0 between 1000°C and 1300°C. The high-temperature partial molar volume analysis of the binary sodium borate melts reveals about 50% BO₄ tetrahedra at the 40 mole % Na₂O composition, in agreement with recent NMR estimates for the binary glasses. No "boron anomaly" was found near 18 mole % Na₂O at high temperature. The synthetic partial molar volume model that agrees best with experiment for all ternary melts studied involves the presence of some BO₄ tetrahedra, the percentage of which varies with composition. This ternary model involves a high degree of internal consistency. No tendency toward extensive micro-immiscibility was observed for ternary melts near the SiO₂·B₂O₃ binary.     

Uniformly Porous Al2O3/LaPO4 and Al2O3/CePO4 Composites with Narrow Pore-Size Distribution

Porous Al₂O₃/20 vol% LaPO₄ and Al₂O₃/20 vol% CePO₄ composites with very narrow pore-size distribution at around 200 nm have been successfully synthesized by reactive sintering at 1100°C for 2 h from RE₂(CO₃)₃· x H₂O (RE = La or Ce), Al(H₂PO₄)₃ and Al₂O₃ with LiF additive. Similar to the previously reported UPC-3Ds (uniformly porous composites with a three-dimensional network structure, e.g. CaZrO₃/MgO system), decomposed gases in the starting materials formed a homogeneous open porous structure with a porosity of ∼40%. X-ray diffraction, ³¹P magic-angle spinning nuclear magnetic resonance, scanning electron microscopy, and mercury porosimetry revealed the structure of the porous composites.     

The System MgO─P2O5─H2O at 25°C

The phase diagram for the ternary system MgO─P₂O₅─H₂O at 25°C has been constructed. The magnesium phosphates represented are Mg(H₂PO₄)₂· n H₂O ( n = 4, 2, 0), MgHPO₄·3H₂O, and Mg₃(PO₄)₂· m H₂O ( m = 8, 22). Because of the large differences in the solubilities of these compounds, the technique which involves plotting the mole fractions of MgO and P₂O₅ as their 10th roots has been employed. With the exception of MgHPO₄·3H₂O, the magnesium phosphates are incongruently soluble. Because incongruency is associated with a peritectic-like reaction, the phase Mg₂(PO₄)₃· 8H₂O persists metastably for an extended period.     

Crystalline Phases and YAG Laser-Induced Crystallization in Sm2O3–Bi2O3–B2O3 Glasses

The glass formation region, crystalline phases, second harmonic (SH) generation, and Nd:yttrium aluminum garnet (YAG) laser-induced crystallization in the Sm₂O₃–Bi₂O₃–B₂O₃ system were clarified. The crystalline phases of Bi₄B₂O₉, Bi₃B₅O₁₂, BiBO₃, Sm _x Bi_{1− x} BO₃, and SmB₃O₆ were formed through the usual crystallization in an electric furnace. The crystallized glasses consisting of BiBO₃ and Sm _x Bi_{1− x} BO₃ showed SH generations. The formation of the nonlinear optical BiB₃O₆ phase was not confirmed. The formation (writing) region of crystal lines consisting of Sm _x Bi_{1− x} BO₃ by YAG laser irradiation was determined, in which Sm₂O₃ contents were∼10 mol%. The present study demonstrates that Sm₂O₃–Bi₂O₃–B₂O₃ glasses are promising materials for optical functional applications.     

Crystallization of Li2O · Al2O3· 6SiO2 Glasses Containing Niobium Pentoxide as Nucleating Dopant

Niobium pentoxide (T form, orthorhombic system) was utilized to promote devitrification in Li₂O · Al₂O₃· 6SiO₂ glasses. Two or more mole percentage of this nucleating dopant enhanced crystallization in these glasses. Glasses containing 4.0 and 8.0 mol% T-Nb₂O₅ exhibited a high tendency to form dispersed TT-Nb₂O₅ (monoclinic system) precipitates during the glass quenching process. The crystallization process in glasses containing 2.0 or 4.0 mol% T-Nb₂O₅ occurred as microphase separation, followed by the formation of dispersed TT-Nb₂O₅ crystalline precipitates (760°C), followed by β-quartz solid-solution ( ss ) formation (850° to 900°C) heterogeneously nucleated from the precipitates. β-quartz( ss ) transformed to β-spodumene( ss ), along with a polymorphic transition from the TT-Nb₂O₅ to M-Nb₂O₅ (tetragonal system) crystalline phase.     

Viscosity of Molten Na2O─B2O3 Slags

The viscosity of sodium borate slags at high Na₂O concentrations (37.3 to 49.4 mol%) and high temperatures (1000° to 1300°C) follows an Arrhenius-type relationship. This relationship was also observed for sodium borate slags (mass% Na₂O/mass% B₂O₃= 0.86) containing CaO and CaF₂ for the same temperature range. There has been a reduction in viscosity of the sodium borate slags (mass% Na₂O₃mass% B₂O = 0.53 to 0.86) with increase in Na₂O concentration. On adding CaO (10 to 50 mass%) to the sodium borate slag (mass% Na₂O/mass% B₂O₃= 0.86), the viscosity increased considerably, while an addition of CaF₂ (S to 15 mass%) to the slag (30.9 mass% Na₂O₃ 35.8 mass% B₂O₃, 33.3 mass% CaO) decreased the viscosity. The average activation energies of Na₂O─B₂O₃, Na₂O─B₂O₃─CaO₃ and Na₂O─B₂O₃─CaO─CaF₂ slag systems have been estimated as 14.6, 124.7, and 41.4 kJ/mol, respectively, for the given composition ranges and 1000° to 1300°C temperature range.     

Effect of Small Additions of Al2O3 and Ga2O3 on the Immiscibility Temperature of Na2O-SiO2 Glasses

Alumina and gallia were substituted separately for Na₂O in amounts of 0.2, 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0, and 3.0 wt% in three Na₂O-SiO₂ glass compositions (82, 84, and 86 wt% SiO₂) within the immiscibility region. The immiscibility regions for each system extend to ∼1.5 mol% of the added oxide. In general, the addition reduced the immiscibility temperature ( T _m), but at the edge of the immiscibility region (82% SiO₂) the Na₂O loss effect initially increased T _m. A structural model of the miscibility of Al₂O₃ added to silicate glasses is presented.