Role of Sb3+ as a network-forming cation in oxide glasses -: art. no. 052203

Sb K-edge extended x-ray-absorption fine-structure spectroscopy has been used to determine the coordination environment of Sb3+ ions in a wide range of Sb2O3-MxOy glasses (M=Si, Ge, B, and As) with Sb2O3 concentrations ranging from similar to20 to up to 80 mol %. The Sb-O coordination number and bond length are found to be insensitive to glass composition. In all glasses the Sb3+ ions are coordinated to three oxygen nearest-neighbors and the Sb-O nearest-neighbor distances vary within a narrow range of 1.945 to 1.970 Angstrom. It is concluded that Sb3+ behaves as a classic "network-forming" cation in oxide glasses, creating a continuous random network of Sb-O-M bonds, where M=Sb, As, Ge, Si, or B.