Formation of photonic structures in Sm2+-doped aluminosilicate glasses through phase separation

Sm2+-doped Al2O3-SiO2 glasses with three-dimensionally interconnected macroporous morphology have been prepared via the alkoxide-derived sol-gel process containing poly(ethylene oxide) and SmCl3 center dot 6H(2)O. The macroporous morphology is obtained by concurrently inducing the phase separation and sol-gel transition. When the macroporous aluminosilicate glasses doped with Sm2+ are irradiated with a visible light laser at the wavelength of 488 nm, a hole or a dip appears in the plot of fluorescence intensity versus the incident angle of laser beam, indicating that the valence state of Sm2+ is spatially modulated through the interference of multiply scattered light. The hole profile can be controlled by adjusting the macroporous morphology. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.