Jing-Tai Zhao

Role of minor quantity of Si 3 N 4 addition on the optical properties of Ce 3+ -activated borogermanate scintillating glass

Transparent and colorless CeO2-activated borogermanate glasses with about 5.60 g/cm3 were successfully synthesized by a melt-quenching method in air atmosphere. Both the optical transmittance and X-ray absorption near edge spectroscopy (XANES) spectra confirm that Ce4+ can be effectively reduced to its trivalent state, i.e. Ce3+ ions, by minor quantity of Si3N4 addition as a strong reducing agent. The luminescence characteristics excited by both ultraviolet and X-ray light were studied and the optimal content of Si3N4 was determined. The developed dense Ce3+-activated borogermanate glasses is featured with a broad emission band centered at 430 nm and a decay time of about 30 ns, which will be a promising candidate to scintillating crystals and ceramics.