Publication

Abstract : Within lanthanide series, Sm3+(4f5) ion is relatively very complex electronic structure and similar to Dy3+(4f9) ion but both ions exhibit visible and infrared emissions. As such, characteristics (structural, thermal, optical, luminescence, etc.) of Sm3+ ion doped crystals, glass-ceramics, phosphors and glasses have been widely investigated for development of visible photonic devices, scintillators and magnetic components. In this paper, studies carried out so far on physical, structural, luminescence and optical characteristics of Sm3+-embedded glasses have been collected, tabulated and re-analysed in a systematic procedure besides our own work on P2O5 + BaO + La2O3 + Sm2O3 (PBaLaSm) glasses. All the quantified properties have also been reviewed besides the labeling of glass compositions in a meaningful way. The properties that are reviewed include, optical energy gap, Judd-Ofelt (JO), radiative, etc. The obtained JO parameters ( × 10−20 cm2) for the present glasses are Ω2 = 5.57, Ω4 = 5.22 and Ω6 = 3.37. In the case of Sm3+ ion, it has been noticed that the JO analysis found to be not only sensitive to the co-ordination geometry of the surrounded glass composition but also on the number of absorption levels that are used for the JO analysis. Theoretical radiation shielding results for the studied glass found to be better than the RS-253-G18, RS-360, lead and ordinary concrete at 30 and 40 KeV. The decay rates for 4G5/2 level of Sm3+ ions in the PBaLaSm glasses have been measured and are found to exhibit single exponential nature at lower concentration and turns into non-exponential at higher concentrations (≥1.0 mol % Sm2O3-doped glasses). The experimental lifetimes for 4G5/2 level of Sm3+ ions are found to decrease from 2413, 2383, 2129, 2039, 1299 and 259 μs when concentration increases from 0.01, 0.05, 0.1,0.5, 1.0 and 2.0 mol % due to cross-relaxation energy transfer. The non-exponential decay rates are well-fitted to Inokuti-Hirayama model for S = 6, indicates that the energy transfer is of dipole-dipole type. However, the overall observations outlined in this study for 48 Sm3+:glasses may be quite useful for those who are interested in this thrust area to plan and carryout systematic study to get constructive conclusion besides predictive nature.