Luminescence of Ce-doped aluminophosphate glasses

The effects of BaO network modifier on the structure, optical properties and luminescence of Ce-doped aluminophosphate glasses were investigated. Glasses were prepared by the melt quenching method in air with different chemical compositions: 50 or 60 mol% P2O5 + 5, 15 or 25 mol% SiO2 + 4–19 mol% BaO + 15 mol% Al2O3 + 1–6 mol% Ce2O3 such the total summed up to 100 mol%. Density was determined to be within 2.7–3.0 g/cm3, while the index of refraction was estimated using the Gladstone-Dale relation using the experimentally-obtained density values to be around 1.48. For each glass series, Raman spectra varied according to the BaO and/or Ce2O3 content. For 1 mol% Ce-doped glasses, the ultraviolet (UV) transparency cutoff was within 317–328 nm, with the cutoff wavelength increasing to 367–373 nm for 6 mol% doped glasses. Scintillation was characterized by radioluminescence (RL) measurements under X-ray excitation, and luminescence by photoluminescence emission (PL), excitation, and fluorescence lifetime measurements. PL and RL results showed a broad band centered around 3.3–3.6 eV with a fluorescence lifetime of about 30 ns. The highest RL output was observed from the 60P2O5·14BaO·5SiO2·15Al2O3·6Ce2O3 glass.