Optical and FTIR structural studies of CoO-doped sodium borate, sodium silicate and sodium phosphate glasses and effects of gamma irradiation-a comparative study

• Sodium meta-borate, sodium meta-silicate and sodium meta-phosphate glasses were prepared.
• Base glasses were doped with 0.25 wt% of Cobalt oxide.
• Infrared and UV–visible absorption spectra were measured before and after gamma irradiation.

Undoped and CoO-doped three binary glass systems, namely sodium borate, sodium silicate and sodium phosphate glasses were prepared by the melt annealing technique. Combined optical and FTIR spectral studies were carried out for the prepared samples before and after being subjected to a gamma dose of 8 Mrad (8 × 104 Gy). Optical spectra of the undoped samples before irradiation reveal strong UV absorption varying in depth with the type of glass and such strong UV spectra are related to the presence of unavoidable trace iron impurities within the raw materials used for the preparation of these three basic glasses. CoO-doped (0.25%) glasses show additional visible absorption spectra which are related to the existence of cobalt in the divalent state (Co)2+ ions which are present in two coordination states, namely the octahedral and tetrahedral forms. The broad visible band of Co2+ ions shows in some instances obvious splitting to three component peaks.Gamma irradiation on undoped glasses causes obvious induced UV–visible bands and their extension depends on the type of glass system. Irradiation of CoO-doped glasses causes an obvious increase of absorption within the visible region.Infrared absorption spectra of the undoped three basic glasses reveal IR vibrational bands which are characteristics to the three specific characteristic structural building units within the borate, silicate and phosphate glasses. The introduction of CoO with the doping level causes minor variations of the IR spectra because of the low doping content together with the presence of cobalt ions in structural modifying sites. Gamma irradiation is observed to cause limited changes within the intensities of some bands in the IR spectra which are attributed to changes in bond lengths and/or bond angles of the structural building units by the irradiation process.

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