Preparation of CaWO4-based glass-ceramics with uniform crystal distribution and enhanced luminous property by thermoelectric coupling treatment

Abstract

To address the issue of crystal aggregation in CaWO4-based glass-ceramics under high temperature or prolonged durations, while also aiming to enhance the luminescent properties, a thermoelectric coupling treatment is introduced during the preparation process of glass-ceramics. In this study, the influence of applying an external DC electric field on the nucleation and crystallization was examined. Techniques such as DSC, XRD, and SEM are utilized to investigate the crystal types and microstructure of the glass-ceramics. Furthermore, the luminescent performance under ultraviolet and X-ray is characterized, with PL, PLE, and XEL spectra being measured. The findings reveal that thermoelectric coupling treatment augments the crystallization content, refines crystal distribution, and enhances luminescent properties. The applied DC electric field provides energy for thermodynamic reactions, reduces activation energy for bond breaking, accelerates ion migration, and facilitates crystal nucleation precipitation. Crucially, it induces polarization of Ti and Zr ions within crystal nuclei, generating electrostatic repulsion between nuclei. These effects mitigate crystal aggregation, refine distribution, and amplify crystal count. This underscores the potential of thermoelectric coupling treatment in synthesizing optical materials utilizing glass-ceramics as luminescent base materials, offering insights for similar researches endeavors.