Effect of GeO2 content on structural and spectroscopic properties of antimony glasses doped with Sm3+ ions

Antimony-based glasses with different germanium oxide content doped with Sm3+ ions have been developed. On the basis of decomposition of absorption bands (FTIR) in the mid infrared region, was determined that antimony and germanium ions are the glass-forming ions, setting up the lattice of fabricated glasses. The effect of GeO2/Sb2O3 ratio in fabricated glass doped with samarium ions on thermal, structural and luminescent properties was also investigated. Characteristic bright reddish orange luminescence from the (4)G(5/2) state to the lower lying levels H-6(J) with J = 5/2, 7/2, 9/2 and 11/2 with maximum intensity at the wavelength of 603 nm originating from (4)G(5/2) -> H-6(7/2) transition was observed. The asymmetry nature of molecular structure around samarium ion have been determined from intensity ratio between (4)G(5/2) -> H-6(9/2) (ED) and (4)G(5/2) -> H-6(5/2) (MD) transitions. An introduction of GeO2 to the antimony glass results in the increasing of (4)G(5/2) lifetime and decreasing of the orange-to-red intensity ratio, which is are related to reduction of non-briding oxygens. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.