Rare Earth Dopant (Nd, Gd, Dy, and Er) Hybridization in Lithium Tetraborate

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

5-27-2014

Abstract

The four dopants (Nd, Gd, Dy, and Er) substitutionally occupy the Li+ sites in lithium tetraborate (Li2B4O7: RE) glasses as determined by analysis of the extended X-ray absorption fine structure. The dopants are coordinated by 6-8 oxygen at a distance of 2.3 to 2.5 Å, depending on the rare earth. The inverse relationship between the RE-O coordination distance and rare earth (RE) atomic number is consistent with the expected lanthanide atomic radial contraction with increased atomic number. Through analysis of the X-ray absorption near edge structure, the rare earth dopants adopt the RE3+ valence state. There are indications of strong rare earth 5d hybridization with the trigonal and tetrahedral formations of BO3 and BO4 based on the determination of the rare earth substitutional Li+ site occupancy from the X-ray absorption near edge structure data. The local oxygen disorder around the RE3+ luminescence centers evident in the structural determination of the various glasses, and the hybridization of the RE3+ dopants with the host may contribute to the asymmetry evident in the luminescence emission spectral lines. The luminescence emission spectra are indeed characteristic of the expected f-to-f transitions; however, there is an observed asymmetry in some emission lines.

Comments

This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 3.0). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

DOI

10.3389/fphy.2014.00031

Source Publication

Frontiers in Physics

Link to Full Text

Share

COinS