Tailoring the structural, optical, mechanical, and magnetic properties of borosilicate glass/Yb₂O₃ composites

This work highlights the potential of Yb₂O₃-doped barium borosilicate glass as a versatile material with tunable properties for various advanced technological applications. The study investigates the properties of Yb₂O₃-doped barium borosilicate glass, focusing on its structure, mechanical, optical, and magnetic characteristics. The glasses have been characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), optical absorption spectroscopy, and vibrating sample Magnetometer (VSM). The synthesis of Yb₂O₃-doped barium borosilicate glass was achieved using the melt quenching method. Adding Yb₂O₃ at different concentrations decreases the intensity of the Raman bands. Increasing Yb₂O₃ content into the glass samples increases their density and packing density while decreasing their molar volume. The glass transition temperature (T_g) decreased initially (447 to 438 °C) with increasing Yb₂O₃ content (up to 3 mol%) and showed a slight increase at 4 mol%. Crystallization temperature (T_C) decreased initially (688 to 638 °C) but then increased back to 688 °C. Both the direct and indirect optical energy gaps of the glass decreased with increasing Yb₂O₃ content. This decrease is reflected in the decreasing Urbach energy values. However, the refractive index of borosilicate glass was enhanced upon increasing Yb₂O₃ content. As the amount of Yb₂O₃ increased, the elastic moduli of the material also increased. The saturation magnetization (M_S) was improved, while the coercivity (H_C) was lowered upon increasing Yb₂O₃ concentrations. Finally, Yb₂O₃-doped barium borosilicate glass could have several potential magnet-optic applications.