Structural and optical properties of barium titanate modified bismuth borate glasses

Glass samples with composition (70B2O3–29Bi2O3–1Dy2O3) modified with Barium titanate (BT), where BT is added in different successive weight percents, have been synthesized by conventional melt quenching technique. X-ray diffraction studies were performed in order to confirm the amorphous nature of the samples. The density of the samples has been found to decrease with an increase in the BT content, whereas an opposite trend has been observed in the molar volume. The analysis of FTIR and Raman spectra of the samples depicts that the glass network is built up of mainly BiO6, BiO3, BO3 and BO4 units. Its detailed analysis also revealed that the glass structure depends upon the amount of BT in the glass matrix and hence it acts as a modifier in the glass network. Introduction of BT into the glass matrix leads to the conversion of BO3 trigonal units into BO4 tetrahedral units, which results in a decrease in the degree of disorder in the glass network and makes the glass system more stable. The values of Urbach energy obtained for the prepared samples also confirmed the decrease in disorder in the glass network. The optical absorption measurements carried out for well-polished samples show a decrease in optical band gap energy with an increase in BT content whereas the molar refractivity shows the reverse trend. The Hydrogenic excitonic model applied to the studied glasses suggested that the present glass system favors direct transitions. The metallization criterion of the presently studied samples suggests that the prepared glasses may be potential candidates for nonlinear optical applications.