Fluorescence of copper, manganese and antimony ions in phosphate glass host

Abstract The paper presents a study based on luminescence characteristics of phosphate glasses containing Cu2+, Mn4+ and Sb3+. The glass samples obtained by a wet chemical route belong to Li2O–BaO–Al2O3–La2O3–P2O5 oxide system. The oxide composition of the glass samples is calculated to obtain a vitreous network composed of metaphosphate chains bonded by modifier ions (Li+, Ba2+ and La3+) and fluorescent ions. The absorption spectra of the samples were acquired in the UV domain in order to establish the excitation wavelength for each fluorescent ion. The absorption peaks of Sb3+ ion are ranged at 285 nm and 250 nm, Mn2+ ion at 280 nm and 365 nm, Cu2+ ion at 295 nm and 313 nm. The luminescence peaks of Cu2+, Mn4+ and Sb3+ ions are found in the visible domain at different wavelengths, depending on the oxidation state and coordination symmetry of each fluorescent ion. The fluorescence of Sb3+ ion has a strong signal at 450 nm and a weak one at 465 nm, Mn2+ ion shows a fluorescence peak at 600 nm and the pair Cu2+/Cu+ ions reveals a fluorescence emission at 460 nm.