Elucidating the impact of Dy2O3 substitution on structure, optical, photoluminescence and mechanical properties of borosilicate glass

Abstract This work aims to investigate the changes in characteristics seen in the composition 60B 2 O 3 + (30–x) BaO + 10SiO 2 + xDy 2 O 3 where x is 0.0, 1.0, 2.0, and 3.0 mole% glass samples. Melt-quenching technique was used to prepare the glass samples. A variety of analytical techniques were employed to characterize the prepared glasses, such as x-ray, Raman, photoluminescence, and UV-vis-NIR spectroscopy. XRD spectra verified the glassy nature. The glasses’ compactness was studied using structural properties such as density, molar volume, and oxygen packing density. Makishima-Mackenzie’s (M-M) method was used to determine mechanical parameters such as elastic moduli, Poisson’s ratio, and hardness, and it was found that these properties decreased with increasing Dy 2 O 3 concentration. Glass absorption spectra showed eleven distinct peaks in the range 300–2000 nm, resulting from Dy 3+ electronic transitions. Urbach energy, refractive index, and optical band gap energy were determined. The optical parameters, such as molar refraction, molar polarizability, reflection loss, optical transmission, metallization, and optical electronegativity, were estimated. The photoluminescence spectra revealed five distinct peaks in the 400–800 nm wavelength range under excitation at 325 nm.