Structural Design of Eu2+-Containing Glasses and Glass-Ceramics Based on the BaO–ZrO2–SiO2–MgF2 System for LED Application

Abstract

An approach to designing the structure of Eu²⁺-containing silicate glass-crystalline materials was implemented for the first time, using which a rare-earth activator is introduced into Ba-containing silicates formed during glass crystallization. Eu²⁺-activated fluorine-containing glasses and glass-ceramics in the MgO–BaO–ZrO₂–SiO₂ system were synthesized, and their crystal structure and luminescence properties were studied. It was shown that the simultaneous incorporation of Eu into several different silicate crystals formed during the crystallization of glasses yields a material with a broad luminescence band in the visible part of the spectrum. A study of the luminescence excitation and emission spectra of glass demonstrated the possibility of excitation energy transfer from Eu²⁺ ions to Eu³⁺ ions. The approach proposed for the first time to designing the structure of glass-crystalline materials is quite promising for the further creation of new optical media used in high-power light-emitting diodes.