Structural investigations of silicate-phosphate glasses containing MoO3 by FTIR, Raman and 31P MAS NMR spectroscopies

Molybdenum is a transition metal (refers to the "d" block of the periodic table) whose atom has an incomplete d sub-shell. It is known that in silicate glasses molybdenum may exist under four oxidation states: Mo6+, Mo5+, Me4+ and Mo3+, simultaneously molybdenum cations, depending on their content in the glass network, may either be a glass forming component, or act as a modifier. The contemporary literature data show studies conducted mostly on the structure of silicate, phosphate, borate and borosilicate glasses containing molybdenum ions, but not silicate-phosphate glasses. Therefore, the author has undertaken detailed studies using FUR, Raman and P-31 MAS NMR techniques in order to examine the effect of MoO3 addition into the structure of silicate-phosphate glasses from SiO2-P2O5-K-2 O-CaO-MgO system. On the basis of obtained results it was concluded that molybdenum ions in the analysed glasses act as a modifier, which follows from the gradual breakage of oxygen bridges, i.e. P-O-P, Si-O-Si, and Si-O-P, and the following formation of connections such as Mo[MoO4]-O-Si and/or Mo[MoO4]-O-P. In summary, it is concluded that the increase of MoO3 content (up to 4.4 mol.%) in the structure of glasses of SiO2-P2O5-K2O-MgO-CaO system results in weakening of the structure and gradual increase of the degree of silico-oxygen and phosphor-oxygen frameworks depolymerisation. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.