Spectroscopic properties of B2O3–PbO–Bi2O3–GeO2 glass doped with Sm3+ and gold nanoparticles

•Heavy metal oxide glass containing Sm and gold nanoparticles was synthesized.•Gold nanoparticles of 4–5 nm were detected by TEM and plasmon resonance.•Visible and NIR emission of Sm was enhanced by the presence of gold nanoparticles.

Heavy metal oxide B2O3–PbO–Bi2O3–GeO2 transparent glass doped with Sm3+ was synthesized and implanted with Au+ using energy of 300 keV and fluence of 1 × 1016 cm−2. The annealing of the implanted glass at moderate temperature below the glass transition temperature induced the nucleation of gold nanoparticles, confirmed by the characteristic absorption band in the visible range and by transmission electron microscopy. Using Miés and Doylés theories for the surface plasmon resonance, the average size of the gold nanoparticles was about 4.6 nm, similar to the values observed by transmission electron microscopy. It was also observed the crystallization of a thin layer of the glass at the implanted surface after annealing, detected by X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscope. Visible and near-infrared emission of Sm3+ was enhanced after annealing of the glass implanted with gold. Judd–Ofelt parameters and radiative parameters were calculated for the glass doped with Sm3+ with and without gold nanoparticles.