Optical Spectroscopic Analysis of High Density Lead Borosilicate Glasses

Lead borosilicate glasses, of chemical composition 20SiO(2)-xPbO-(15+x)B2O3-5WO(2)-10ZnO-(50-2x)Na2O (where x = 5, 10, 15, 20, 25) were prepared using the normal melt-quenching technique. The samples were examined using a Philips Analytical X-ray diffraction system in order to check their amorphous nature. The effect of increasing B2O3 and PbO content on glass transition temperature was examined using Differential Thermal Analysis measurements (DTA). The results of DTA showed that both melting and glass transition temperatures decrease with increase of lead and boron oxides. Density and its related parameters have been determined to study the effect of lead-boron content on the structural properties of the prepared samples. Based on the density and DTA results, the network forming role of Pb and B ions was proved. The optical properties of the glass samples have been obtained using UV-VIS measurements. The optical parameters, such as optical band gap, Urbach energy, refractive index, and electronic polarizability were deduced based on the optical data. The observed increase in optical band gap and decrease in Urbach energy as well as the red shift in the absorption spectra arise due to the formation of non-bridging oxygen.