Abstract
Zinc aluminosilicate glasses nucleated by titanium dioxide, both undoped and doped with 0.6 and 1.0 wt% FeO were prepared by conventional melt-quenching technique and subsequently converted to glass-ceramics by controlled nucleation and crystallization in the temperature range of 720 – 1200 °C. The glasses and glass-ceramics were characterized by X-ray diffraction, Raman and optical spectroscopy. The addition of FeO speeds up the liquid phase separation of the initial glasses and gahnite (ZnAl2O4), rutile (TiO2) and cristobalite (SiO2) crystallization. Ferrous ions enter the gahnite crystals leading to a variation of the absorption spectra of glass-ceramics as compared to those of glasses. The glass-ceramics exhibit a broadband (1.5-2.5 μm) absorption due to the 5E → 5T2 (5D) transition of Fe2+ ions in tetrahedral sites in gahnite nanocrystals. They are promising as materials for gain media and saturable absorbers of mid-infrared lasers.
Highlights
Coherent light sources emitting in the mid-infrared spectral range are of practical use for such applications as molecular spectroscopy, gas sensing and medicine
As compared to optical ceramics, zinc aluminosilicate (ZAS) transparent glass-ceramics (GCs) containing nanosized gahnite crystals possess an advantage of the flexible and convenient fabrication method based on the glass technology, and, they allow for alteration of the nanocrystals compositions, structures and sizes
3.1 Initial glasses The undoped glass is X-ray amorphous while the traces of gahnite nanocrystals are visible in the X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) patterns of glasses doped with FeO, Figure 2(a)
Summary
Coherent light sources emitting in the mid-infrared spectral range (the so-called molecular fingerprint region containing the absorption lines of various bio- and atmospheric species) are of practical use for such applications as molecular spectroscopy, gas sensing and medicine. 3. Results and discussion 3.1 Initial glasses The undoped glass is X-ray amorphous while the traces of gahnite nanocrystals are visible in the XRD patterns of glasses doped with FeO, Figure 2(a). The shift of positions of the Raman bands centered at ~928 and 797 cm-1 for the undoped glass to lower frequencies with FeO doping manifests the beginning of liquid phase separation [5,6] during glass casting and annealing.
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
