Efficacy of copper ions on lithium ion conductivity, electron hopping, optical band gap, metallization criterion and morphology of Li2O-B2O3-P2O5 glasses

The melt quenching process is adopted in fabricating the glass system 10Li(2)O-60B(2)O(3)-(30-x)P2O5: xCuO (0 <= x <= 2.5 mol%, where x = 0, 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0 and 2.5). The specimens are analyzed by X-ray diffraction (XRD), optical absorption, emission spectra, electron spin resonance (ESR) spectra, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) studies and dielectric investigations. XRD reveals the glassy temperament of specimens. Optical absorption spectra exhibited bands due to Cu2+ ions. ESR spectra exhibited the peaks due to copper ions occupying the octahedral positions. Spin-Hamiltonian parameters of glasses judged the escalating ionic character of specimens with a rise in content of dopant. FTIR displayed traditional bands corresponding to borate and phosphate groups. Dielectric parameters like dielectric constant (epsilon'), loss (tans) and a.c. conductivity (sigma(ac)) increase with a rise in the quantity of dopant. All results brace that specimen C25 (sample doped with 2.5 mol% of CuO) has the highest semiconducting nature.