Effect of NaF and KF in photo and X-ray induced luminescence behaviors of Sm3+-doped lithium oxy-fluorophosphate glasses

Abstract

Sm³⁺-doped lithium oxy-fluorophosphate glasses were successfully synthesized via the melt-quenching method, with partial substitution of P<inf>2</inf>O<inf>5</inf> by NaF and KF to investigate compositional effects on structural and optical properties. The incorporation of alkali fluorides led to an increase in density and a corresponding decrease in molar volume, indicating a more compact glass network. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis revealed that NaF addition significantly enhanced the presence of non-bridging oxygens (NBOs), confirming the structural depolymerization. Photoluminescence (PL) and X-ray induced luminescence (XIL) measurements exhibited distinct trends: PL intensity was enhanced with NaF due to increased NBOs, while XIL intensity was higher with KF addition, possibly due to more efficient energy transfer from secondary electrons. Chromaticity analysis based on CIE coordinates confirmed the stable orange emission across all glass samples, with negligible spectral shift. These findings provide valuable insight into tailoring Sm³⁺-activated glass scintillations through compositional modifications.