Self-cleaning glasses became demanding for various advanced applications due to their manifold advantages. In this view, some tellurite glasses containing TiO2 nanoparticles with varying concentrations were synthesized using the standard melt-quenching. These glasses were transparent with a reddish appearance. The HRTEM images of the glasses showed the presence of ellipsoidal TiO2 NPs with sizes ranging from 9−22 nm and 5−9 nm along the major and minor axis, respectively. The lattice fringe pattern of the selected TiO2 NPs confirmed their anatase structure with a lattice spacing of 0.36 nm. The observed reduction in the water contact angle from 67.5° to 43.0° of the glasses indicated their hydrophilic nature. The high work of adhesion (0.101− 0.126 N.m-1 ) of the glasses revealed the strong interfacial attractive force between water and glass. It was demonstrated that by adjusting the TiO2 NPs contents the hydrophilic traits of the glassed can be tailored, indicating the suitability for self-cleaning applications.

The dependence of TiO2/Au concentrations on the physical and optical properties of glass was investigated thoroughly. Variations in density, molar volume, molar refraction, refractive index, and polarizability with varying TiO2/Au contents were affected by the formation of non-bridging oxygen. The formation of big islands in the atomic force microscopy image signifies the growth of nanoparticles. The decrement in band gap manifests alteration in the glass network mainly the local field around the Er3+ ions. The rise in Urbach energy illustrates disorder in the glass. The beneficial features of the current glass composition may be useful for photonic devices.

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