IR and optical study of Pb3O4 (2PbO.PbO2) glass containing a small amount of silica

Abstract The IR spectrum of Pb 3 O 4 (2PbO.PbO 2 ) glass containing a small amount of silica (SiO 2 ) revealed intense bands at 845 and 666 cm −1 attributed to the vibrational modes in the silicate group. The analysis suggests that the small (4 mol%) quantity of SiO 2 is present in the glass as isolated silicate tetrahedra together with O–Pb 4+ –O chains. The results of optical absorption edge studies together with the IR study suggest that Pb 3 O 4 glass is distinctly different from pure PbO glass with a higher optical band gap of 2.73 eV.