Structure and Physical Properties of 59B2O3–10Na2O–(30 − x)CdO–xZnO–1CuO (0 ≤ x ≤ 30) Glass System

A series of stable and transparent glasses with the composition 59B2O3–10Na2O–(30 − x) CdO–xZnO–1CuO (0 ≤ x ≤ 30) (where x = 0, 7.5, 15, 22.5, and 30 mol%) were prepared by conventional melt-quenching technique. These glasses were characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) and Raman spectroscopes, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), optical absorption, and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR). XRD and DSC analysis confirmed the glassy nature of the prepared samples. The physical properties such as density (ρ), molar volume (Vm), oxygen packing density (OPD), and the molar volume of oxygen (Vo) were calculated and discussed. FTIR and Raman studies showed that the glass network consists of BO3 and BO4 units in various borate groups. From DSC, it was found that the glass transition temperature (Tg) varies nonlinearly with the addition of ZnO content in place of CdO. Both EPR and optical absorption results have confirmed that the Cu2+ ions are in octahedral coordination with a strong tetrahedral distortion. The changes in various spectroscopic properties of Cu2+ ions in the glasses such as spin-Hamiltonian parameters ( ) and bonding coefficients (α2, β1, and β2) were understood with the help of FTIR and Raman studies.