Spectroscopic properties of Pr3+ ions embedded in lithium borate glasses

A series of lithium borate glasses with different Pr3+ contents were prepared by the melt quench technique to explore the new material for solid state light applications. We found that the addition of Pr3+ ions in the glass matrix has a profound effect on the properties of the glasses. The presence of Pr3+ ions in the glass matrix created various absorption bands compared to the base glass. These bands were due to the ground state (H-3(4)) of the Pr3+ to the various excited states. Optical energy band gap was calculated by Tauc's method which showed a decreasing trend with an increase in the Pr3+ content. This might be due to structural changes when the glass structure became rigid due to the Pr3+ ions and this was confirmed by the density results. Rigidity of the glass structure was further confirmed by the Fourier transformed infrared results. The excitation spectra showed bands at H-3(4)-> P-3(2), P-3(1) and P-3(0) nm. The H-3(4)-> P-3(2) band was used to study the unresolved D-1(2)-> H-3(4) and P-3(0)-> H-3(6) transitions of the Pr3+ ions. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.