PbO–Bi2O3–Ga2O3–BaO glass nanocomposites as promising materials for elastoopticity

A new type of elastooptic materials based on PbO–Bi2O3–Ga2O3–BaO glasses have been fabricated. The studies of piezooptical effect at 1150 nm He-Ne laser wavelength have shown that the elastoopticity is crucially dependent on the nanoparticle (NP) sizes. The optimal effect exists at NP concentration equal to about 25%. The principal role of the interfaces between the glass nanoparticles and photopolymer PVA matrices is found. The piezooptic effect has shown sensitivity to the temperature also. The obtained values of piezooptical coefficients are compared with other glasses.