Exploring CeO₂ dopant-induced emission in lithium calcium borate glasses

The study focused on preparing and investigating CeO₂ dopant concentration on the optical properties of lithium-calcium borate glasses through systematic studies using XRD, RAMAN, UV-visible spectroscopy, photoluminescence and decay measurements. The optical absorption spectral results show that the absorption edge shifted towards the lower energy side as the concentration of CeO₂ increased, resulting in a decreased optical band gap. Various excitations (285, 328, 338, and 348 nm) induced luminescence emission in the prepared glasses are studied systematically. It was observed that among all the samples, 0.05 mol% CeO₂ doped glass exhibits a bright blue emission under 328 nm excitation compared to other excitations. In particular, the excitation and emission spectra revealed the presence of at least two different emission centres (5d → ²F_7/2 and ²F_5/2) originating from the Ce³⁺ ions in the host glass matrix. Furthermore, the non-exponential decay kinetics of the optimised sample (0.05 mol% CeO₂) showed a maximum lifetime of 37.6 ns. Furthermore, the CIE colour chromaticity diagram demonstrated 87% purity of the emission. The study provides a comprehensive understanding of the structural and optical properties of cerium-doped lithium-calcium-borate glasses, which can be helpful in the development of new materials for optical applications.