Enhanced optical and structural features of Ni 2+ /La 3+ hybrid borate glasses.

Glasses with the formula [80B ₂ O ₃ -4.0La ₂ O ₃ -(16-x) PbO-xNiO, (x ranged from 0.0 to 4.0 mol%)], were produced by the standard quenching method. XRD, SEM and EDAX analysis established the success of the obtained samples preparation. Density measurements and FT-IR analysis confirmed the structural modifications emerging by the entry of Ni ²⁺ ions as a network modifier, where the structural unit's ratio of BO ₃ (BO ₄ ) was affirmed to increase (decrease) with a gradual rise of NBO's number. The semiconducting behavior of the current glassy samples was verified by the role of the structural modifications in decreasing the gap energy and increasing both Urbach and mineralization criterion. Ligand field analysis applied to the absorption spectra exhibited the covalent nature of the Ni ²⁺ bonds. The behavior of electronic polarizability supported the gradual increases of the linear and non-linear refractive index of the samples. These properties qualify the present glasses as an optically active material for the devices operated in the visible-NIR regions.
Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.
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