Structural, optical and magnetic properties of Fe3O4 sputtered TeO2–PbO–B2O3 and PbO–Bi2O3–B2O3 glasses for sensing applications

Abstract The Fe 3 O 4 nanoparticles, incorporated into two diamagnetic glasses (TeO 2 –PbO–B 2 O 3 and PbO–Bi 2 O 3 –B 2 O 3 ) by DC magnetron sputtering, were annealed at 300 °C for 22 h in order to investigate the influence to the thermal stability and magneto-optical properties of glasses. The structure, morphology and magnetic properties of two sputtered glasses were compared and characterized using X-ray Diffraction (XRD), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), and UV–VIS spectra measurements. The Verdet constant of glasses was measured by a home-made optical bench. Sputtered samples (Fe 3 O 4 target) were compared with the one obtained by melt-quenching Fe 3 O 4 nanoparticles. The influence of sputtered Fe 3 O 4 layer thickness on thermal and magneto-optical performance was investigated. The results prove that the magnetic property of both glasses, and especially the TeO 2 –PbO–B 2 O 3 one, is enhanced after the incorporation of 1–5 μm-thick-Fe 3 O 4 layer deposited by sputtering. Compared with the uncoated glasses, no significant degradation in FT-IR transmittance, UV–VIS absorption and thermal stability were discovered. The TeO 2 –PbO–B 2 O 3 –Fe 3 O 4 system exhibits the best thermal and magneto-optical performances for magneto optical applications, within the two glass families.