The improved glass-forming ability and some physical properties of PbO-Sb2O3:Cr2O3 glasses with As2O3 as additive

Glasses of the composition 40 PbO-(60 - x) Sb2O3-x As2O3:0.4 Cr2O3 (with x ranging from 10 to 55 mol%) were prepared. A number of studies, i.e. differential scanning calorimetry, IR spectroscopy, optical absorption, magnetic susceptibility, ESR spectroscopy and dielectric properties (constant epsilon, loss tan delta, ac conductivity sigma(ac) over a moderately wide range of frequency and temperature and breakdown strength in air medium at room temperature), on these glasses were carried out as a function of As2O3 concentration. The analysis of the results of these studies indicates the structure of PbO-Sb2O3-As2O3: Cr2O3 glass is more stable when the concentration of As2O3 Present in the glass network is around 40 mol%. It is also observed that the glass networks containing lower concentrations of As2O3 are more favourable environments for the presence of larger concentrations of laser-emitting Cr3+ ions. (C) 2003 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.