Exploring the Modification in Physical, Structural and Optical Properties of BaO–PbO–B2O3 Glasses by Incorporating Sm2O3

Abstract

Using the melt-quench technique, barium–lead borate glasses have been successfully manufactured with various concentrations of samarium ion, and the optical and physical characteristics of the system have been studied. Physical properties like density (ρ), molar volume (V_m), average boron–boron separation (d_B-B), polaron radius (r_p), inter-nuclear distance (r_i), field strength (F), and oxygen packing density (OPD) are calculated. In addition, using the absorption spectra of the studied glasses, the optical bandgap values have been computed from Tauc's plot and observed to decrease from 3.41 to 3.22 eV with increasing samarium concentration. Furthermore, with increasing Sm concentration, the boron–boron separation (d_B-B) is seen to decrease, while the OPD increases. In fact, the increasing density and molar weight of the glasses are due to substituting lower molar mass boron with higher molar mass samarium. The introduction of Sm₂O₃ as a modifying oxide causes the density of the glasses to increase. Fourier-transform infrared and X-ray diffraction measurements confirm the amorphous character of the matrix, as well as the presence of several functional groups. The influence of Sm₂O₃ concentration on the host glass is investigated by calculating and considering all physical parameters. In luminescence experiments, the reddish-orange region of the sample with 1 mol% of Sm³⁺ was the most intense. Colorimetric variables, such as CIE coordinates, are also measured. The data show that the studied glasses are appropriate for yellowish-orange to reddish-orange luminescence devices and visible lasers.