Biocompatible lithium zinc borate glasses activated with Sm3+/Eu3+ for glass greenhouse

Abstract

A series of (Sm3+/Eu3+) co-activated lithium zinc borate glasses were procured by a fast and simple melt quenching technique to obtain remarkable red luminescent materials for glass greenhouses. The synthesized glasses are transparent under daylight and can radiate a strong reddish-orange emission under ultraviolet excitation. By exciting with 403 nm, the (Sm3+/Eu3+) co-activated glasses exhibit enhanced ravishing reddish orange emission at 612 nm as correlated with individually (Eu3+) doped glass. The reddish-orange emission pertaining to Eu3+ ions has been remarkably enhanced by codoping with Sm3+ ions through an energy transmission from Sm3+ to Eu3+. The enhanced luminescence bands of the co-activated glasses from 580 to 700 nm were well matched with the chlorophyll absorption spectral domain. In vitro Prestoblue assay results confirm the non-cytotoxicity with appreciable biocompatibility. From the results, the procured non-cytotoxic (0.75Sm3+-1.0Eu3+) co-activated glass has been found to be a biocompatible greenhouse glass for plant cultivation.