Directional solidification, thermo-mechanical and optical properties of (Mg x Ca 1-x ) 3 Al 2 Si 3 O 12 glasses doped with Nd 3+ ions

In this work glass rods of (MgxCa1-x)3Al2Si3O12 (x = 0, 0.5 and 1) doped with 1 wt% Nd2O3 were produced by the laser floating zone technique. Thermo-mechanical and spectroscopic properties have been evaluated. The three glass samples present good thermo-mechanical properties, with similar hardness, toughness and glass transition temperatures. The spectroscopic characterization shows spectral shifts in absorption and emission spectra. These spectral shifts together with Judd-Ofelt intensity parameters and ionic packing ratio have been used to investigate the local structure surrounding the Nd3+ ions and the covalency of the Nd-O bond. All obtained results agree and confirm the higher covalency of the Nd-O bond in the Ca3Al2Si3O12 glass.