Studies on the preparation of rare-earth-doped alkaline borosilicate glass and its optical properties

Abstract

This paper investigated the preparation of rare-earth doped alkali borosilicate glass that exhibited high ultraviolet transmittance and excellent photoluminescence properties. The effects of incorporating three rare earth elements—praseodymium (Pr), europium (Eu), and lutetium (Lu)- on the microstructure and ultraviolet transmittance of alkali borosilicate glass were analyzed using Raman spectroscopy and UV–VIS–IR spectrophotometry. The photoluminescence properties were examined using a fluorescence spectrometer. The results indicated that in the glass samples prepared by a high-temperature melting method, the addition of the rare earth element Lu, along with an appropriate amount of Pr, enhances the ultraviolet transmittance of the alkali borosilicate glass. Furthermore, the luminescence performance of the glass increases with the higher concentration of doped Pr, while it decreased with an increasing concentration of Eu. The glass with the composition of 5.0 wt% B₂O₃, 59.9 wt% SiO₂, 11.2 wt% Na₂O, 5.5 wt% K₂O, 3.5 wt% CaO, 14.8 wt% Al₂O₃, and 0.1 wt% Pr₂O₃ exhibits excellent ultraviolet transmittance and photoluminescence properties at the current experimental conditions.