Gamma-ray irradiation induced bulk photochromism in WO3-P2O5 glass

In the present work, photochromism of WO3-P2O5 glass under gamma-ray irradiation was reported. As-prepared glass samples with different WO3 content are all optically transparent in the visible wavelength range thanks to the addition of a small amount of oxidizing couple Sb2O3-NaNO3. The photochromic properties are identified by transmission spectra of the glasses before and after irradiation. The results show that the irradiation induced darkening results from the reduction of W6+ to W5+ or W4+. The existence of WO6 clusters in glasses of high WO3 content is proved by XPS, which is the main reason for the obvious photochromic effects. The WO3-P2O5 glass is a promising candidate in gamma-ray sensitive detector.