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The popularity of inorganic glasses is growing due to their wide range of applications. Therefore, this study focuses on creating a new type of zinc phosphate glasses (ZnP) that contain Eu3+ ions by using the melt-quenching method. The glasses were made in the following composition: (60-x)P2O5-20ZnO-10SrO-10LiF-xEu2O3, with x ranging from 0.1 to 2.0%. The XRD profiles of the fabricated glasses revealed their amorphous nature, and the photoluminescence spectra of the prepared glasses displayed five distinct emission bands at an excitation wavelength of 394 nm. Judd-Ofelt (JO) parameters were calculated from the photoluminescence spectra and showed a trend Ω2 > Ω4. The radiative total transition probabilities (AT), stimulated emission cross-sections (σ), and quantum efficiencies (η) were also calculated. The 5D0→7F2 transition at 612 nm exhibits high intensity. The characteristic color emission of the ZnP glasses was determined by means of the Commission International de l'éclairage (CIE) 1931 chromaticity coordinates (x, y) and lies in the red region. These glasses exhibited strong red luminescence. Zinc phosphate glasses (ZnP) doped with Eu3+ ions have potential applications as red lighting components. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Clouds are a macroscopic and easily observable natural phenomenon (a suspension of water droplets or ice crystals), which has been studied since the dawn of modern science. Clouds raise increasing interest in the scientific community, due to their fundamental role in the water cycle, energy balance, and climate. The atmosphere, however, contains other suspended particles that constitute the atmospheric aerosol, which also play an important role in the Earth's radiative balance. Moreover, they have a major impact on the formation, evolution, and characteristics of clouds. Study and quantification of clouds and aerosol often requires discriminating from each other. Although in general they differ in the proportion of water (liquid or solid), composition, size, shape, etc., there are situations that lie in the border between them (hydrated aerosols, haze, dissipating clouds, etc.) This communication reviews several studies that suggest that clouds and aerosol should be treated as a continuum or that an additional phase between them must be considered. Both observational works of this transition zone and studies that deal with the radiative effect of these transition situations are commented. We conclude that it is important to carry out additional research focused on suspensions of particles with characteristics between those of typical clouds and those of pure aerosol. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]