Influence of Rare Earth Ions (REIs) on the Visible Emission of Magnesium Sodium Borate Glasses

Borate glass systems have been extensively studied for practical applications in optical display devices by virtue of their peculiar luminescence efficiency. However, the attainment of high emission from borate glass materials via apposite control of rare earth ions (REIs) contents remains a topical issue in Material Physics. In this paper, we report the influence of REIs (Dy3+, Eu3+, and Sm3+) on multiple-colour emission of magnesium sodium borate (MSB) glasses fabricated by using the conventional melt-quenching method. These glasses were optically characterized via X-ray Diffraction (XRD), UV-VIS-NIR and Photoluminescence techniques. The XRD pattern confirms the amorphous nature of the as-prepared glasses. The absorption spectra disclosed several absorption bands at 347 nm (6H15/2 → 6P7/2) for Dy3+, 393 nm (7F0 →5L6) for Eu3+ and 403 nm (6H5/2 →6P5/2) assigned for Sm3+ respectively. Also, the emission spectra radiate at 463 nm (4F9/2 → 6F11/2 + 6H9/2), 612 nm (5D0 → 7FJ) and 599 nm (4G5/2 → 6H7/2) for Dy3+, Eu3+, and Sm3+ correspondingly, wherein Dy3+ emits blue, yellow, and red light, Eu3+ emits red light and Sm3+ emits reddish-orange light. Finally, 1.0 mol% content of Dy3+, Eu3+, and Sm3+ in MSB glasses was found to be optimal and hence considered the best optical host for colour display devices.