CERAMIZATION OF ABO GLASSES UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF O7+ ION IRRADIATION (Article)

Abstract

Alkali borate (ABO) glasses of the composition 15A2O-85B2O3 where A = Li (lithium), Na (sodium) and K (potassium) are prepared using the thermal melt quenching technique. Pure analytical grades of boric acid (H3BO3), lithium carbonate (Li2CO3), sodium carbonate (Na2CO3) and potassium carbonate (K2CO3) are used for the preparation of LBO, NBO and KBO glasses respectively. The ABO glasses are irradiated with 100 MeV O7+ ion beam using 15 UD Pelletron tandem accelerators for fluences like 1 × 1011, 5 × 1011, 1 × 1012, 5 × 1012 and 1 × 1013 ions/cm2. The electronic energy loss is predominant and depth of propagation is calculated from SRIM and TRIM. The XRD and FE-SEM confirm the transformation of polycrystalline structure and growth of grains on the surface after the O7+ ion irradiation. LBO glasses at higher fluences revealed lithium tetrahydroxohexaoxopentaborate trihydrate with a monoclinic structure. The sharp and well-defined XRD peaks affirmed the transition from glass to glass ceramics after the irradiation. Formation of grains on the surface of the ABO glasses after the O7+ ion irradiation confirms the glass ceramics nature. KBO glasses possess enhanced stability even under ion irradiation. The optical bandgap decreased under ion irradiation. O7+ ion irradiation leads to a decrease in the tail of the Urbach energy, indicating reduced disorder in the ABO glasses. The transmission efficiency of both ABO glasses and glass ceramics is evaluated through reflection loss (Lr), transmission coefficient (T), and metallization criteria (M) and the suitability of the ABO glasses for nonlinear optical applications are discussed.