CeO2 Influence on Au Plasmonic Nanoparticle Formation in ZnO-MgO-Al2O3-SiO2 Glass

The effect of a small addition of CeO2 on the process of thermally stimulated formation of Au plasmonic nanoparticles in ZnO-MgO-Al2O3-SiO2 glass containing the crystallization catalysts TiO2 and ZrO2 was investigated by means of absorption spectroscopy, differential-scanning calorimetry, and x-ray diffraction analysis. It is shown that on heating glass from temperatures slightly above T-g up to temperatures near the exothermic peak the plasmon resonance band of nanoparticles undergoes a nonlinear shift, but the addition of CeO2 substantially expands the shift zone to the long wavelengths of the spectrum. Computer modeling of the experimental absorption spectra was performed, the sizes of the formed nanoparticles were calculated, and a mechanism whereby adding CeO2 effects the formation of plasmonic Au nanoparticles is proposed.