The effect of cobalt/copper ions on the structural, thermal, optical, and emission properties of erbium zinc lead borate glasses.

A host glass network of 70BO-10PbO-18ZnO-2ErO (ErCoCu1) was proposed and the impact of 1 mol% of Co or/and Cu ions on its structural, thermal, optical, and green emission properties was studied extensively. The X-ray diffraction spectra confirmed the amorphous structure of the produced glasses. Density and density-based parameters behavior showed that the Co or/and Cu ions fill the interstitial positions of the proposed ErCoCu1 network, causing its compactness. Both ATR-FTIR and Raman Spectra affirmed the formation of the fundamental structural units of the borate network, B-O-B linkage, BO, and BO. Additionally, the penetration of Co or/and Cu ions inside the ErCoCu1 converts the tetrahedral BO units to triangle BO causing its richness by non-bridging oxygens. The addition of Co or/and Cu reduces the glass transition temperature as a result of the conversion of the BO to BO units. Optical absorption spectra for the host glass ErCoCu1 showed many of the distinguished absorption bands of the Er ion. Penetration of Co ion generates two broadbands referring to the presence of Co ions in both tetrahedral and octahedral coordination and Co ions in the tetrahedral coordination. In the Cu-doped glasses, the characteristic absorption bands of Cu and Cu were observed. A green emission was generated from the ErCoCu1 glass under 380 nm excitation wavelength. Moreover, no significant effect of Co or/and Cu on the emission spectra was recorded. The considered glasses had appropriate properties qualifying them for optoelectronics and nonlinear optics applications.