Tailored spectroscopic characteristics of a new type of CuO nanoparticles-inserted borate glass system: Samarium concentration tuning effect.

The demand for new glass hosts with emergent properties is constantly growing for various miniaturized applications. Thus, some new types of SmO-activated strontium-telluro-alumino-magnesium-borate glasses with copper oxide nanoparticles (CuONps) insertion were made using melt-quenching approach. The obtained glasses were characterized to determine the effects of SmO concentration changes on their thermal, structural, and luminescence properties. XRD, FTIR, and HRTEM analyses of the samples verified their glassy nature, presence of different functional units and CuONps, respectively. DTA analysis showed excellent thermal stability of these glasses with a stability factor as much as 125 °C. The optical absorption properties of the glasses were highly sensitive to Sm concentrations variation. The Judd-Ofelt intensity parameters of the glasses with and without CuONps followed the trend of Ω˃Ω˃Ω and Ω˃Ω˃Ω, respectively. These glasses displayed 4 visible luminescence bands at 561, 598, 645, and 705 nm corresponding to G → H, G → H, G → H, and G → H transitions in Sm. In addition, branching ratio above 80% and stimulated emission cross-section up to 135.82 × 10 cm were achieved. The stimulated emission cross-section and optical gain were enhanced due to the inclusion of CuONps in the glasses. These glasses may be useful for solid state laser and optical amplifier development.