Structural, optical, and magnetic studies on novel Pr- doped barium lithium fluoroborate glass system

Abstract

The current study involves the spectral analysis of barium lithium fluoroborate glasses doped with Praseodymium Oxide (Pr6O11). The glass composition used in the study is (70-x) B2O3+20BaF2+10Li2O+xPr6O11 (where x = 0.0, 0.5, 1.0, 1.5 and 2.0 mole%) and was prepared using the traditional melt quenching technique. The amorphous nature of the prepared glasses was confirmed by the X-ray diffraction spectrum. The Raman spectroscopy demonstrated that the addition of Pr6O11 to the barium lithium fluoroborate glasses caused structural changes. The thermal analysis confirmed that Pr6O11 doping increases glass transition temperature and enhances glass thermal stability. The optical characteristics of the glasses that were prepared were analyzed through the use of UV, Vis, and NIR absorption. The calculation of the optical bandgap for both direct and indirect allowed transitions was conducted in order to gain insight into the electronic band structure, as well as to determine the Urbach energy values. The investigation includes an analysis of the refractive index and extinction coefficient across the whole range of wavelengths. The magnetic behavior of all samples was observed to be soft ferromagnetic. The glass material's ability to provide windows for optical fiber at a wavelength of 1550 nm suggests its potential as a viable source for waveguide lasers and its appropriateness for use in applications involving optical fiber amplification.