Irradiation-induced changes in the local environment of Si and Al in LnSiAlON glasses as probed by 27Al and 29Si NMR

Two compounds have been studied: an oxide glass from the Y–Si–Al–O system and an oxynitride glass from the Y–Si–Al–O–N system, both bombarded with Sn-ions (975 MeV, fluences ranging from 1012 to 2.7 × 1013 Sn/cm2). The changes in the environment of the silicon and the aluminium were investigated using NMR spectroscopy. Irradiation by Sn ions leads to a loss of nitrogen in the silicon and probably the aluminium environments. Part of the aluminium changes from a network former coordination to a network modifier coordination while the oxide silicate network exhibits a higher cross-linking due to an increase of the population of bridging oxygen. Part of the aluminium in five-fold coordination is formed at the expense of aluminium in six-fold coordination in the case of the oxynitride glass and the changes in the silicon environment occur at lower fluences than for the oxide glass.