Interphases in luminescent oxide nanostructured glass-ceramics

Undoped and doped with Eu2O3 oxide glasses of the mK2O-kP2O5-nB2O3-xPbO composition were manufactured and studied. The glass-ceramics nanocomposites were manufactured by addition of the doped Eu3+ ions with KCa(BO3) micro/nanosized crystals into the noted glasses. All the samples were characterized with use of scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), diffuse reflection, and photoluminescence (PL) procedures. The XRD patterns of the glass-ceramics samples showed the peaks corresponding to crystalline component of the composite. Wide bands of intrinsic PL were found in the PL spectra of glasses, while the narrow lines of f–f radiation transition were observed in the spectra of the glasses containing europium oxide and in the spectra of the glass-ceramics. It was concluded that the Eu3+ ions in glass-ceramics locate both in the glass matrix and the crystalline particles. Moreover, the luminescent features of the Eu3+ ions located in interphase layers were found. This finding creates a basis for monitoring interphase layers formed in glass-ceramics containing Eu3+ or other luminescent rare-earth ions.