Synthesis and characterization of samarium doped zinc borophosphate glasses

This paper is focusing on the synthesis and characterization of the optical, mechanical and thermal properties of samarium doped ZnO-rich borophosphate glasses. Two series of samples have been synthesized -non doped with composition: (68+x) ZnO -18B(2)O(3) -(14-x) P2O5 and doped -(67.5+x) ZnO -18B(2)O(3) -(14-x) P2O5 -0.5Sm(2)O(3), where x = 0, 2, 4, 6 mol%. The obtained materials have been investigated by powder X-ray diffraction, differential scanning calorimetry, infrared spectroscopy and photoluminescence analysis. Furthermore, the density has been measured and the chemical durability in acid, neutral and alkaline medium has been determined. The obtained samples are amorphous, homogeneous and transparent glasses except for the samples with the highest content of ZnO. Samarium doped samples exhibit strong visible immediate photoluminescence signal under UV light. The synthesized samarium doped ZnO-rich borophosphate glasses may find applications for preparation of energy converters, solar cells, X-ray dosimeters and for protection of valuable documents.