Novel HMO-Glasses with Sb2O3 and TeO2 for Nuclear Radiation Shielding Purposes: A Comparative Analysis with Traditional and Novel Shields

The radiation shielding characteristics of samples from two TeO₂ and Sb₂O₃-based basic glass groups were investigated in this research. TeO₂ and Sb₂O₃-based glasses were determined in the research as six samples with a composition of 10WO₃-(x)MoO₃-(90 − x)(TeO₂/Sb₂O₃) (x = 10, 20, 30). A general purpose MCNPX Monte Carlo code and Phy-X/PSD platform were used to estimate the radiation shielding characteristics. Accordingly, the linear and mass attenuation coefficients, half value layer, mean free path, variation of the effective atomic number with photon energy, exposure and built-up energy factors, and effective removal cross-section values were determined. It was determined that the results that were produced using the two different techniques were consistent. Based on the collected data, the most remarkable findings were found to be associated with the sample classified as T80 (10WO₃ + 10MoO₃ + 80TeO₂). The current study showed that material density was as equally important as composition in modifying radiation shielding characteristics. With the T80 sample with the greatest density (5.61 g/cm³) achieving the best results. Additionally, the acquired findings were compared to the radiation shielding characteristics of various glass and concrete materials. Increasing the quantity of MoO₃ additive, a known heavy metal oxide, in these TeO₂ and Sb₂O₃-based glasses may have a detrimental impact on the change in radiation shielding characteristics.     

Influence of ZnF2 and WO3 on Radiation Attenuation Features of Oxyfluoride Tellurite WO3-ZnF2-TeO2 Glasses Using Phy-X/PSD Software

The radiation shielding features of the ternary oxyfluoride tellurite glasses were studied by calculating different shielding factors. The effect of the TeO₂, WO_3, and ZnF₂ on the tested glass system’s attenuating performance was predicted from the examination. The mass attenuation coefficient (µ/ρ) values for the oxyfluoride tellurite glasses depend highly on the concentration of WO_3, as well as ZnF₂. All the present ZnFWTe1-ZnFWTe5 samples have higher µ/ρ values than that of the pure TeO₂ glass at all energies. For the samples with a fixed content of WO₃, the replacement of TeO₂ by ZnF₂ increases the µ/ρ, while for the glasses with a fixed content of TeO₂, the replacement of WO₃ by ZnF₂ results in a decline in the µ/ρ values. The results revealed that ZnFWTe4 has the lowest linear attenuation coefficient (µ) among the oxyfluoride tellurite glasses, whereby it has a slightly higher value than pure TeO₂ glass. The maximum effective atomic number (Z_eff) is found at 0.284 MeV and varied between 31.75 and 34.30 for the tested glasses; it equaled to 30.29 for the pure TeO₂ glass. The half-value layer (HVL) of the glasses showed a gradual decline with increasing density. The pure TeO₂ was revealed to have thicker HVL than the selected oxyfluoride tellurite glasses. A 1.901-cm thickness of the sample, ZnFWTe1, is required to decrease the intensity of a photon with an energy of 0.284 MeV to one-tenth of its original, whereas 1.936, 1.956, 2.212, and 2.079 cm are required for glasses ZnFWTe2, ZnFWTe3, ZnFWTe4, and ZnFWTe5, respectively.     

The Effect of ZnO,MgO, TiO2, and Na2O Modifiers on the Physical,Optical, and Radiation Shielding Properties of a TeTaNb Glass System

Novel glass samples with the composition 75TeO₂–5Ta₂O₅–15Nb₂O₅–5x (where x = ZnO, MgO, TiO₂, or Na₂O) in mole percent were prepared. The physical, optical, and gamma radiation shielding properties of the glass samples were studied over a wide energy spectrum ranging between 0.015 and 20 MeV. The glasses’ UV–vis spectra were utilized to evaluate the optical energy gap and refractive index. Glass samples had a refractive index ranging from 2.2005 to 2.0967. The results showed that the sample doped with zinc oxide (ZnO) recorded the highest density (ρ_glass), molar polarizability (α_m), molar refraction (Rm), refractive index (n), and third-order nonlinear optical susceptibility (χ³) and the lowest optical energy gap (E_opt) among the samples under investigation. When comparing the current glass system with various standard glass shielding materials, the prepared glass system showed superior shielding performance at energies ranging between 40 and 85 keV. These findings indicate that the prepared glass systems can be used in diagnostic X-rays, especially in dental applications.     

Investigation of the TeO2/GeO2 Ratio on the Spectroscopic Properties of Eu3+-Doped Oxide Glasses for Optical Fiber Application

This study presented an analysis of the TeO₂/GeO₂ molar ratio in an oxide glass system. A family of melt-quenched glasses with the range of 0–35 mol% of GeO₂ has been characterized by using DSC, Raman, MIR, refractive index, PLE, PL spectra, and time-resolved spectral measurements. The increase in the content of germanium oxide caused an increase in the transition temperature but a decrease in the refractive index. The photoluminescence spectra of europium ions were examined under the excitation of 465 nm, corresponding to ⁷F₀ → ⁵D₂ transition. The PSB (phonon sidebands) analysis was carried out to determine the phonon energy of the glass hosts. It was reported that the red (⁵D₀ → ⁷F₂) to orange (⁵D₀ → ⁷F₁) fluorescence intensity ratio for Eu³⁺ ions decreased from 4.49 (Te0Ge) to 3.33 (Te15Ge) and showed a constant increase from 4.58 (Te20Ge) to 4.88 (Te35Ge). These optical features were explained in structural studies, especially changes in the coordination of ^[4]Ge to ^[6]Ge. The most extended lifetime was reported for the Eu³⁺ doped glass with the highest content of GeO₂. This glass was successfully used for the drawing of optical fiber.     

Investigation of Structural,Physical, and Attenuation Parameters of Glass: TeO2-Bi2O3-B2O3-TiO2-RE2O3 (RE: La,Ce, Sm,Er, and Yb), and Applications Thereof

A novel series of glass, consisting of B₂O₃, Bi₂O₃, TeO₂, and TiO₂ (BBTT) containing rare earth oxide RE₂O₃, where RE is La, Ce, Sm, Er, and Yb, was prepared. We investigated the structural, optical, and gamma attenuation properties of the resultant glass. The optical energy bands, the linear refractive indices, the molar refractions, the metallization criteria, and the optical basicity were all determined for the prepared glass. Furthermore, physical parameters such as the density, the molar volume, the oxygen molar volume, and the oxygen packing density of the prepared glass, were computed. Both the values of density and optical energy of the prepared glass increased in the order of La₂O₃, Ce₂O₃, Sm₂O₃, Er₂O₃, and then Yb₂O₃. In addition, the glass doped with Yb₂O₃ had the lowest refractive index, electronic polarizability, and optical basicity values compared with the other prepared glass. The structures of the prepared glass were investigated by the deconvolution of infrared spectroscopy, which determined that TeO₄, TeO₃, BO₄, BO₃, BiO₆, and TiO₄ units had formed. Furthermore, the structural changes in glass are related to the ratio of the intensity of TeO₄/TeO₃, depending on the type of rare earth. It is also clarified that the resultant glass samples are good attenuators against low-energy radiation, especially those that modified by Yb₂O₃, which exhibited superior shielding efficiency at energies of 622, 1170, and 1330 keV. The optical and gamma ray spectroscopy results of the prepared glass show that it is a good candidate for nonlinear optical fibers, laser solid material, and optical shielding protection.     

Investigations Regarding the Addition of ZnO and Li2O-TiO2 to Phosphate-Tellurite Glasses: Structural,Chemical, and Mechanical Properties

Phosphate and tellurite glasses can be used in optics, optoelectronics, magneto-optics, and nuclear and medical fields. Two series of phosphate-tellurite glasses, (50-x)ZnO-10Al₂O₃-40P₂O₅-xTeO₂ and (40-x)Li₂O-10Al₂O₃-5TiO₂-45P₂O₅-xTeO₂ (x = 5, 10), were synthesized by a non-conventional wet-route, and the mechanical properties as key performance measures for their application in optoelectronics were investigated. X-ray Diffraction (XRD) measurements revealed the vitreous nature of the investigated materials. Instrumented indentation tests allowed the calculation of hardness (H) and Young’s modulus (E) using the Oliver and Pharr model. The influence of increasing the TeO₂ content, as well as the substitution of ZnO by Li₂O-TiO₂, on the variation of hardness, Young’s modulus, penetration depth (PD), and fracture toughness (FT) was evaluated in both series. As a general trend, there is a decrease in the hardness and Young’s modulus with increasing penetration depth. The addition of Li₂O and TiO₂ instead of ZnO leads to improved hardness and elastic modulus values. Regarding the H/E ratio, it was found that the samples with lower TeO₂ content should be significantly more crack-resistant compared to the higher TeO₂ content samples. The H³/E² ratio, being lower than 0.01, revealed a poor resistance of these glasses to plastic deformation. At the same time, a decrease of the fracture toughness with increasing TeO₂ content was noticed for each glass series. Based on dilatometry measurements, the thermal expansion coefficient as well as the characteristic temperatures of the glasses were measured. Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy-Energy Dispersive X-ray analysis (FESEM-EDX) revealed a uniform distribution of the elements in the bulk samples. The mechanical properties of these vitreous materials are important in relation to their application as magneto-optical Faraday rotators in laser cavities.     

Thermal Stability,Optical Properties,and Gamma Shielding Properties of Tellurite Glass Modified with Potassium Chloride

The synthesized glass system with a composition of (80-x) TeO₂-10P₂O₅-10Nb₂O₅-xKCl mol% (where x = 5, 10, 15, 20, and 25) was successfully fabricated. The density (ρ) and molar volume (V_m) have been calculated. The investigated glasses were characterized using different analysis methods (differential thermal analysis (DTA) and UV-VIS-NIR spectroscopy). The radiation shielding effectiveness of the synthesized glass system was evaluated using different shielding parameters, such as mass and linear attenuation coefficients (MAC, LAC), half-value layer (HVL), mean free path (MFP), effective atomic number (Z_eff), and effective electron number (N_eff). The results showed that with the increasing potassium chloride (KCl) concentration and decreasing tellurium oxide (TeO₂) concentration, the density, refractive index, Urbach energy (E_u), and glass transition temperature (T_g) decreased, while the optical energy gap (E_opt) and thermal stability increased. As the KCl concentration increases, the values of MAC, LAC, and Z_eff increase in the following order: TPNK5 % > TPNK10 % > TPNK15 % > TPNK20 % > TPNK25 %. Additionally, the shielding effectiveness of TPNK glass system showed good performance compared with some standard materials. The synthesized glass with a minimum KCl content has both good shielding effectiveness and good optical properties, in addition to reasonable thermal stability, which makes it suitable for shielding and optical applications.     

Transparent Glasses and Glass-Ceramics in the Ternary System TeO2-Nb2O5-PbF2

Transparent fluorotellurite glasses were prepared by melt-quenching in the ternary system TeO₂-Nb₂O₅-PbF₂. The synthesis conditions were adjusted to minimize fluorine loss monitored as HF release. It was found that 10 mol% of Nb₂O₅ is the optimum content for PbF₂ incorporation up to 35 mol% in the tellurite matrix without loss of glass forming ability. Such glass compositions exhibit a wide optical window from 380 nm to about 6 μm. Crystallization properties were carefully investigated by thermal analysis and compositions with higher PbF₂ contents exhibit preferential precipitation of lead oxyfluoride Pb₂OF₂ at lower temperatures. The lead oxyfluoride crystallization mechanism is also governed by a volume nucleation, barely reported in tellurite glasses. Eu³⁺ doping of these glass compositions also promotes a more efficient nucleation step under suitable heat-treatments, resulting in transparent Eu³⁺-doped glass-ceramics whereas undoped glass-ceramics are translucent. Finally, Eu³⁺ spectroscopy pointed out a progressive, more symmetric surrounding around the rare earth ions with increasing PbF₂ contents as well as higher quantum efficiencies. These new fluorotellurite glass compositions are promising as luminescent hosts working in the middle infrared.     

Ytterbium-Phosphate Glass for Microstructured Fiber Laser

In the paper, we report on the development of a synthesis and melting method of phosphate glasses designed for active microstructured fiber manufacturing. Non-doped glass synthesized in a P₂O₅-Al₂O₃-BaO-ZnO-MgO-Na₂O oxide system served as the matrix material; meanwhile, the glass was doped with 6 mol% (18 wt%) of Yb₂O₃, as fiber core. The glasses were well-fitted in relation to optical (refractive index) and thermal proprieties (thermal expansion coefficient, rheology). The fiber with the Yb³⁺-doped core, with a wide internal photonic microstructure for a laser pump, as well as with a high relative hole size in the photonic outer air-cladding, was produced. The laser built on the basis of this fiber enabled achieving 8.07 W of output power with 20.5% slope efficiency against the launched pump power, in single-mode operation M² = 1.59, from a 53 cm-long cavity.     

Experimental Investigation of Radiation Shielding Competence of Bi2O3-CaO-K2O-Na2O-P2O5 Glass Systems

The gamma-ray shielding features of Bi₂O₃-CaO-K₂O-Na₂O-P₂O₅ glass systems were experimentally reported. The mass attenuation coefficient (MAC) for the fabricated glasses was experimentally measured at seven energy values (between 0.0595 and 1.33 MeV). The compatibility between the practical and theoretical results shows the accuracy of the results obtained in the laboratory for determining the MAC of the prepared samples. The mass and linear attenuation coefficients (MACs) increase with the addition of Bi₂O₃ and A4 glass possesses the highest MAC and LAC. A downward trend in the linear attenuation coefficient (LAC) with increasing the energy from 0.0595 to 1.33 MeV is found. The highest LAC is found at 1.33 MeV (in the range of 0.092–0.143 cm⁻¹). The effective atomic number (Z_eff) follows the order B1 > A1 > A2 > A3 > A4. This order emphasizes that increasing the content of Bi₂O₃ has a positive effect on the photon shielding proficiencies owing to the higher density of Bi₂O₃ compared with Na₂O. The half value layer (HVL) is also determined and the HVL for the tested glasses is computed between 0.106 and 0.958 cm at 0.0595 MeV. The glass with 10 mol% of Bi₂O₃ has lower HVL than the glasses with 0, 2.5, 5, and 7.5 mol% of Bi₂O₃. So, the A4 glass needs a smaller thickness than the other glasses to shield the same radiation. As a result of the reported shielding parameters, inserting B₂O₃ provides lower values of these three parameters, which in turn leads to the development of superior photons shields.     

Influence of Li2O Incrementation on Mechanical and Gamma-Ray Shielding Characteristics of a TeO2-As2O3-B2O3 Glass System

According to the Makishema–Mackenzie model assumption, the dissociation energy and packing density for a quaternary TeO₂-As₂O₃-B₂O₃-Li₂O glass system were evaluated. The dissociation energy rose from 67.07 to 71.85 kJ/cm³, whereas the packing factor decreased from 16.55 to 15.21 cm³/mol associated with the replacement of TeO₂ by LiO₂ compounds. Thus, as a result, the elastic moduli (longitudinal, shear, Young, and bulk) were enhanced by increasing the LiO₂ insertion. Based on the estimated elastic moduli, mechanical properties such as the Poisson ratio, microhardness, longitudinal velocity, shear velocity, and softening temperature were evaluated for the investigated glass samples. In order to evaluate the studied glasses’ gamma-ray shield capacity, the MCNP-5 code, as well as a theoretical Phy-X/PSD program, were applied. The best shielding capacity was achieved for the glass system containing 25 mol% of TeO_2, while the lowest ability was obtained for the glass sample with a TeO₂ concentration of 5 mol%. Furthermore, a correlation between the studied glasses’ microhardness and linear attenuation coefficient was performed versus the LiO₂ concentration to select the glass sample which possesses a suitable mechanical and shielding capacity.     

Impact of ZnO Modifier Concentration on TeO2 Glass Matrix for Optical and Gamma-Ray Shielding Capabilities

This study carried out a comparison of the optical and gamma ray shielding features of TeO₂ with and without ZnO modifier concentration. Incorporating ZnO into the TeO₂ network reduces the indirect band gap from 3.515–3.481 eV. When ZnO is added, refractive indices, dielectric constants, and optical dielectric constants rise from 2.271–2.278, 5.156–5.191, and 4.156–4.191 accordingly. The transmission coefficient and reflection loss are in direct opposition to each other. With increasing ZnO concentration in the selected glasses, the values of molar refractivity and molar polarizability decrease from 18.767–15.018 cm³/mol and from 7.444 × 10⁻²⁴–5.957 × 10⁻²⁴ cm³, respectively, while the electronic polarizability rises from 8.244 × 10²⁴–8.273 × 10²⁴, correspondingly. As expected by the metallization values, the glass systems are non-metallic. The linear attenuation coefficients (LAC) of the studied glass samples ensue through enhancing the photon energy range 0.0395–0.3443 MeV. There is a very slow decrease in the LAC from an energy of 0.1218–0.3443 MeV, yet there is a sharp decrease from an energy of 0.0401–0.0459 MeV. According to the obtained values of numerous shielding parameters such as LAC, MAC, HVL, MFP, and Z_eff sample, Zn30 has shown the best radiation shielding ability comprising other studied samples.     

The Role of La2O3 in Enhancement the Radiation Shielding Efficiency of the Tellurite Glasses: Monte-Carlo Simulation and Theoretical Study

The radiation shielding competence was examined for a binary glass system xLa₂O₃ + (1 − x) TeO₂ where x = 5, 7, 10, 15, and 20 mol% using MCNP-5 code. The linear attenuation coefficients (LACs) of the glasses were evaluated, and it was found that LT20 glass has the greatest LAC, while LT5 had the least LAC. The transmission factor (TF) of the glasses was evaluated against thicknesses at various selected energies and was observed to greatly decrease with increasing thickness; for example, at 1.332 MeV, the TF of the LT5 glass decreased from 0.76 to 0.25 as the thickness increased from 1 to 5 cm. The equivalent atomic number (Z_eq) of the glasses gradually increased with increasing photon energy above 0.1 MeV, with the maximum values observed at around 1 MeV. The buildup factors were determined to evaluate the accumulation of photon flux, and it was found that the maximum values for both can be seen at around 0.8 MeV. This research concluded that LT20 has the greatest potential in radiation shielding applications out of the investigated glasses due to the glass having the most desirable parameters.     

Competition Effects during Femtosecond Laser Induced Element Redistribution in Ba- and La-Migration Based Laser Written Waveguides

Fs-laser induced element redistribution (FLIER) has been a subject of intensive research in recent years. Its application to various types of glasses has already resulted in the production of efficient optical waveguides, tappers, amplifiers and lasers. Most of the work reported on FLIER-based waveguides refers to structures produced by the cross-migration of alkali (Na, K) and lanthanides (mostly La). The latter elements act as refractive index carrying elements. Herein, we report the production of Ba-based, FLIER-waveguides in phosphate glass with an index contrast > 10⁻². Phosphate glasses modified with the same amount of Na₂O and K₂O, and variable amounts of BaO and/or La₂O₃ were used to produce the FLIER-waveguides with Ba and or La acting as index carriers. Ba-only modified glasses show a waveguide writing threshold and light guiding performance comparable to that of La-based structures. However, mixed Ba-La glasses show a much higher element migration threshold, and much smaller compositionally modified regions. This behavior is consistent with a competition effect in the cross-migration of both elements (Ba and La) against the alkalis. Such an effect can be applied to inhibit undesired element redistribution effects in fs-laser processing applications in multicomponent glasses.     

The Vital Role of La2O3 on the La2O3-CaO-B2O3-SiO2 Glass System for Shielding Some Common Gamma Ray Radioactive Sources

The role La₂O₃ on the radiation shielding properties of La₂O₃-CaO-B₂O₃-SiO₂ glass systems was investigated. The energies were selected between 0.284 and 1.275 MeV and Phy-X software was used for the calculations. BLa10 glass had the least linear attenuation coefficient (LAC) at all the tested energies, while BLa30 had the greatest, which indicated that increasing the content of La₂O₃ in the BLa-X glasses enhances the shielding performance of these glasses. The mass attenuation coefficient (MAC) of BLa15 decreases from 0.150 cm²/g to 0.054 cm²/g at energies of 0.284 MeV and 1.275 MeV, respectively, while the MAC of BLa25 decreases from 0.164 cm²/g to 0.053 cm²/g for the same energies, respectively. At all energies, the effective atomic number (Z_eff) values follow the trend BLa10 < BLa15 < BLa20 < BLa25 < BLa30. The half value thickness (HVL) of the BLa-X glass shields were also investigated. The minimum HVL values are found at 0.284 MeV. The HVL results demonstrated that BLa30 is the most space-efficient shield. The tenth value layer (TVL) results demonstrated that the glasses are more effective attenuators at lower energies, while decreasing in ability at greater energies. These mean free path results proved that increasing the density of the glasses, by increasing the amount of La₂O₃ content, lowers MFP, and increases attenuation, which means that BLa30, the glass with the greatest density, absorbs the most amount of radiation.     

Evaluation of the Radiation Shielding Properties of a Tellurite Glass System Modified with Sodium Oxide

In this study, the X-ray and gamma attenuation characteristics and optical properties of a synthesized tellurite–phosphate–sodium oxide glass system with a composition of (85 − x)TeO₂–10P₂O₅–xNa₂O mol% (where x = 15, 20, and 25) were evaluated. The glass systems we re fabricated by our research group using quenching melt fabrication. The shielding parameters of as-synthesized systems, such as the mass attenuation coefficient (MAC), linear attenuation coefficient (LAC), effective atomic number (Z_eff), half-value layer (HVL), tenth value layer (TVL), mean free path (MFP), and effective electron density (N_eff) in a wide energy range between 15 keV and 15 MeV, were estimated using well-known PHY-X/PSD software and recently developed MIKE software. Herein, the optical parameters of prepared glasses, such as molar volume (V_M), oxygen molar volume (V_O), oxygen packing density (OPD), molar polarizability (αm), molar refractivity (R_m), reflection loss (R_L), and metallization (M), were estimated using MIKE software. Furthermore, the shielding performance of the prepared glasses was compared with that of commonly used standard glass shielding materials. The results show that the incorporation of sodium oxide into the matrix TeO₂/P₂O₅ with an optimum concentration can yield a glass system with good shielding performance as well as good optical and physical properties, especially at low photon energy.     

Crystallization of Lanthanide—Ho3+ and Tm3+ Ions Doped Tellurite Glasses

In the presented work, the tellurite glasses TeO₂-WO₃-ZnO doped with Tm³⁺ and Ho³⁺ ions were prepared by the same glass forming method. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and differential thermal analysis (DTA) techniques were used to study the effects of the forming technology on the thermal and structural properties of the fabricated glasses. After controlled crystallization of investigated glasses, the emission in the VIS- and NIR range was determined. The effect of silver doping on emission intensity was investigated. The value of the activation energy of the glass crystallization process was determined, while the E_a value for pure TeO₂ glass was much lower than for tellurite glasses TeO₂-WO₃-ZnO.     

Effect of Se on Structure and Electrical Properties of Ge-As-Te Glass

The Ge-As-Te glass has a wide infrared transmission window range of 3–18 μm, but its crystallization tendency is severe due to the metallicity of the Te atom, which limits its development in the mid- and far-infrared fields. In this work, the Se element was introduced to stabilize the Ge-As-Te glass. Some glasses with ΔT ≥ 150 °C have excellent thermal stability, indicating these glasses can be prepared in large sizes for industrialization. The Ge-As-Se-Te (GAST) glasses still have a wide infrared transmission window (3–18 μm) and a high linear refractive index (3.2–3.6), indicating that the GAST glass is an ideal material for infrared optics. Raman spectra show that the main structural units for GAST glass are [GeTe₄] tetrahedra, [AsTe₃] pyramids, and [GeTe₄Se_4−x] tetrahedra, and with the decrease of Te content (≤50 mol%), As-As and Ge-Ge homopolar bonds appear in the glass due to the non-stoichiometric ratio. The conductivity σ of the studied GAST glasses decreases with the decrease of the Te content. The highest σ value of 1.55 × 10⁻⁵ S/cm is obtained in the glass with a high Te content. The activation energy E_a of the glass increases with the decrease of the Te content, indicating that the glass with a high Te content is more sensitive to temperature. This work provides a foundation for widening the application of GAST glass materials in the field of infrared optics.     

Effects of Vanadium on the Structural and Optical Properties of Borate Glasses Containing Er3+ and Silver Nanoparticles

The erbium-vanadium co-doped borate glasses, embedded with silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs), were prepared to improve their optical properties for potential optical fiber and glass laser application. The borate glasses with composition (59.5–x) B₂O₃–20Na₂O–20CaO–xV₂O₅–Er₂O₃–0.5AgCl (x = 0–2.5 mol%) were successfully prepared by conventional melt-quenching method. The structural properties of glass samples were investigated by XRD, TEM and by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy while optical properties were carried out by UV–Vis spectroscopy by measuring optical absorption and the emission properties were investigated by photoluminescence spectroscopy. The XRD patterns confirmed the amorphous nature of the prepared glass samples whilst the FTIR confirmed the presence of VO₄, VO₅, BO₃ and BO₄ vibrations. UV–Vis–NIR absorption spectra reveal eight bands which were located at 450, 490, 519, 540, 660, 780, 980, and 1550 nm corresponding to transition of ⁴F_5/2, ⁴F_7/2, ²H_11/2, ⁴S_3/2, ⁴F_9/2, ⁴I_9/2, ⁴I_11/2, and ⁴I_13/2, respectively. The optical band gap (E_opt), Urbach energy and refractive index were observed to decrease, increase and increase, respectively, to the addition of vanadium. Under 800 nm excitation, three emission bands were observed at 516, 580 and 673 nm, which are represented by ²H_11/2–⁴I_15/2, ⁴S_3/2–⁴I_15/2 and ⁴F_15/2–⁴I_15/2, respectively. The excellent features of achieved results suggest that our findings may provide useful information toward the development of functional glasses.     

Synthesis and Structural Characterization of CaO-P2O5-CaF:CuO Glasses with Antitumoral Effect on Skin Cancer Cells

Copper is one of the most used therapeutic metallic elements in biomedicine, ranging from antibacterial approaches to developing new complexes in cancer therapy. In the present investigation, we developed a novel xCuO∙(100 − x) [CaF₂∙3P₂O₅∙CaO] glass system with 0 ≤ x ≤ 16 mol% in order to determine the influence of doping on the composition structure of glasses. The samples were characterized by dissolution tests, pH measurements, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR), Scanning Electron Microscopy with energy dispersive spectroscopy (SEM-EDX) and afterward, their antitumor character was assessed. The glasses were mostly soluble in the aqueous medium, their dissolution rate being directly proportional to the increase in pH and the level of doping up to x = 8 mol%. FT-IR spectra of glass samples show the presence of all structural units characteristic to P₂O₅ in different rates and directly depending on the depolymerization process. SEM-EDX results revealed the presence of an amorphous glass structure composed of P, O, Ca, and Cu elements. The 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) reduction assay showed strong cytotoxicity for tumoral cells A375 even in low concentrations for Cu-treatment. In contrast, the copper-free matrix (without Cu) determined a proliferative effect of over 70% viability for all concentrations used.