Spectroscopic and Surface Wetting Properties of Samarium Doped Lead-Tellurite Glass Embedded with Titanium Nanoparticles: Self-Cleaning Glass

Abstract

Two series of samarium doped lead-tellurite glass embedded with titanium nanoparticles (Ti NPs) of different compositions (60-x) TeO 2 -30PbO-10ZnO-xSm 2 O 3 (x = 0.5, 1, 1.5, 2, 2.5 mol%) and (58.5-x) TeO 2 -30PbO-10ZnO-1.5Sm 2 O 3 -xTiO 2 (x = 0.3, 0.6, 0.9, 1.2, 1.5mol %) were prepared using conventional melt quenching technique. The existence of a broad hump XRD pattern veri es the amorphous nature of glasses. The homogeneous distribution and growth of spherical and non-spherical Ti NPs (average diameter ~11.11±0.13 nm) in the glassy matrix are evidenced from the TEM analyses. The HRTEM con rmed the presence of Ti NPs by measuring the lattice spacing of Ti NPs, which is found to be 0.211nm. The UV-Vis-NIR absorption spectra reveal nine bands corresponding to the transition from ground state 6 H 5/2 to excited states 4 I 13/2, 4 I 11/2 , 6 F 11/2 , 6 F 9/2 , 6 F 7/2 , 6 F 5/2 , 6 F 3/2 , 6 H 15/2 , and 6 F 1 /2 , the most intense hypersensitive bands are F 9/2 , 6 F 7/2 , 6 F 5/2 and 6 F 3/2 . The down conversion corresponding to Sm 3+ ions transitions under 404 nm excitation reveals four emission bands centered at 548nm, 583nm, 628nm, and 692 nm related to the transitions