Near-neighbor structure of rare-earth elements in fluorozirconate glasses

Abstract

The near-neighbor structures of several different rare-earth (RE) elements in fluorozirconate glasses doped with these RE fluorides are studied by extended x-ray absorption fine structure. The RE elements include praseodymium, neodymium, europium, and erbium. Their near-neighbor structures in ternary and multicomponent fluorozirconate glasses are determined and compared. The structural parameters of near neighbors around RE in these glasses are also compared with those of corresponding fluorides. The changes in distance and coordination number of near neighbors in the glasses containing different RE fluorides are obtained and discussed. It is observed that the intensities of the ‘‘white lines’’ at RE LII and LIII absorption edges in these glasses differ from those in corresponding fluorides.