Dehydration of Er3+-doped phosphate glasses using reactive agent bubble flow method

This paper investigated on the dehydration of Er3+-doped phosphate glasses using O2 + CCl4 bubble flow method. The influence of parameters of dehydration effect was studied systemically. It was found that the dehydration rate was rather rapidly at the initial stage of bubbling. Increasing gas flow rate and temperature could drive the dehydration process toward lower OH concentration in the melts. The dehydration process was carried out in open system and analyzed by thermodynamic theory of open system, which clarified the process of eliminating of OH groups from the glass melts with bubbling time and gas flow rate. A time-dependent empirical equation about reaction rate constant was derived, and the relationships between rate constant and bubbling flow rate, and temperature were also discussed. This analytical method could be applicable to the dehydration of glass melt using other dehydration agents.