Local structure in gadolinium-lead-borate glasses and glass-ceramics

Abstract The rare earth ion doped materials having the xGd2O3•(100-x)[4B2O3•Pb] composition where x = 0–50 mol% Gd2O3 were synthetised by the melt queching method. XRD data show the formation of the Pb and Pb2O crystalline phases in the glass ceramics. The gadolinium ions can be intercalated into the host matrix by the deforming of B-O-B angles and the formation of modified [BO3] structural units. The UV–Vis data indicate a decrease in non-bridging oxygen ions concentrations by the adding of Gd2O3 contents in the glass host. The presence and the intensity of the resonance lines situated at about g~ 2, 2.8, 4.8 and 6 assigned to Gd+3 ions depend on the Gd2O3 concentration in vitroceramic. The near-edge features of the Gd L3 edge spectra show that the peak intensity differed with the adding of the higher Gd2O3 content in the host matrix suggesting that local symmetry around the Gd central atoms are slight distorsions.