ER~(3+)-DOPED SODA-LIME SILICATE GLASS: ARTIFICIAL PINK GEMSTONE

摘要

Er~(3+)-doped soda-lime silicate glasses of the composition (in mol%) (65-x)SiO_2:25Na_2O:10CaO:xEr_2O_3 (where x = 0, 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5) were fabricated by conventional melt quenching technique. The physical and optical properties were measured and investigated. The erbium oxide enters the glass network as a modifier by occupying the interstitial space in the network and generating the NBOs to the structure. The molar volume increases with an increase in Er_2O_3 content, which is attributed to the increase in the number of Non-Bridging Oxygen (NBOs). The increase of NBOs in the structure generally leads to an increase in average atomic separation. The density, molar volume and refractive index of glasses increased linearly with increasing Er_2O_3 concentration. The color of glasses was changed from light pink to intense pink as the Er_2O_3 concentration was increased from 1 to 5 mol%. The Vickers hardness of Er~(3+)-doped glasses was found to be in the range of 450-500 HV. In this study, it can be concluded that the soda-lime silicate glasses doped with high Er_2O_3 concentration has intense pink color and high value of hardness which is suitable to be cut as gems.