A comparative study of microwave assisted and conventional melting techniques to glass properties

Abstract

The present work focuses on the investigation of the properties of 33TeO2: 30B2O3: 30ZnO: 5BaO: 2Eu2O3 glass prepared using microwave and conventional techniques. The prepared glasses were characterized by TGA/DSC analysis, density, refractive index, FTIR, XPS, absorption spectra, photoluminescence, lifetime, quantum efficiency, and X-ray-induced luminescence properties. The photoluminescence of the samples exhibited the strongest luminescence intensity of the Eu3+ ion at 614 nm (7F2) under 394 nm excitation, resulting in a relatively high photoluminescence quantum yield of 39.64%. The luminescence decay time from the 5D0 to 7F2 level of glass prepared by the microwave technique is lower than that of a sample prepared by the conventional technique, with a luminescence decay time of 1.269 and 1.425 ms, respectively. X-ray-excited luminescence spectroscopy identified an emission peak at 614 nm in the samples, which can be attributed to 5D0-7F2 transitions in the Eu3+ ion. These high-intensity samples were compared with bismuth germanate oxide (BGO) crystals used in radiation detection applications. From the various results examined, it is clear that the 33TeO2: 30B2O3: 30ZnO: 5BaO: 2Eu2O3 glass prepared using the microwave technique is suitable for use as a scintillation material.