Concentration Effect of Sm3+ Ions on Structural and Luminescence Properties of Lithium Borate Glasses

Sm3+ containing lithium borate glasses successfully prepared and their physical and spectroscopic properties were analyzed. Addition of Sm3+ ions increases the density of glasses due to creation of BO−4 units. The absorption spectra of Sm3+ containing glasses show number of transition peaks as compared to base glass. Tau's method is employed to find the optical energy band gap of glasses. The value of optical energy band gap decreases with increase in Sm3+ content which is explained on the basis of structural changes. From the excitation spectra it is clear that these glasses can be easily excited by UV and near UV light. On excitation these glasses show strong emission at 598 nm which corresponds to 4G5/2→6H7/2 transition. Luminescence results indicate that these glasses can be further modified for LED applications.