A novel Nd3+-doped MgO-Al2O3-SiO2-based transparent glass-ceramics: Toward excellent fluorescence properties

Generally, glass-ceramics have superior properties compared to their parent glasses. Here, we prepared a novel Nd³⁺-doped MgO-Al₂O₃-SiO₂-based transparent glass-ceramics with excellent fluorescence properties. The effects of Nd₂O₃ content on the structure and properties of glass-ceramics were studied, aiming to provide a key guidance for preparing this transparent glass-ceramics. The results revealed that the glass stability increased originally and then decreased with increasing Nd₂O₃ content, so did the variation of wavenumbers in infrared spectra. And these glass-ceramics are mainly composed of cordierite with residual glassy phase. The three phenomenological intensity parameters (Ω_2,4,6) and radiative properties were estimated by Judd-Ofelt theory, and the values of Ω₂ first decreased and then increased with increasing Nd₂O₃ content. Three main emission peaks ascribed to the transitions from ⁴F_3/2 to ⁴I_9/2, ⁴I_11/2, ⁴I_13/2 at 898, 1057, 1330  nm were observed, respectively. The branching ratios for ⁴F_3/2→⁴I_11/2 transition increased as the Nd₂O₃ content raised, and the fluorescence lifetimes of the ⁴F_3/2 level were found to increase first and then decrease with Nd₂O₃ content (from 181 to 726 μs). The excellent fluorescence properties indicate that this novel glass-ceramics can be used as a potential solid-state optical functional material for 1.06 μm laser emission.