Luminescence properties of B2O3–GeO2–Gd2O3 scintillating glass doped with rare-earth and transition-metal ions

• Glass-forming region of B2O3–GeO2–Gd2O3 ternary system are determined.
• Radioluminescence response from transition-metal doped B2O3–GeO2–Gd2O3 glasses.
• Radioluminescence response from rare-earth doped B2O3–GeO2–Gd2O3 glasses.
• Emission peak position and decay time can be tuneable by incorporating various activators.

Novel B2O3–GeO2–Gd2O3 ternary scintillating glasses doped with 1 mol% rare-earth and transition-metal activators were synthesized by melt-quenching method. Their transmittance, photoluminescence (PL) and X-ray excited luminescence (XEL) spectra were investigated. The results suggest that a high content of Gd2O3 is of significance for designing dense glass with density of 6.0 g/cm3. And energy transfer from Gd3+ to the incorporated activators can be realized in the borogermanate glasses. The emission position and decay time can be efficiently tuned by incorporating various kinds of activators. All results imply the developed borogermanate scintillating glass is potential for scintillating fields.