Effect of heat-treatment on luminescence and structure of Ag nanoclusters doped oxyfluoride glasses and implication for fiber drawing

The effect of heat treatment on the structure and luminescence of Ag nanoclusters doped oxyfluoride glasses was studied and the implication for drawing the corresponding fibers doped with luminescent Ag nanoclusters has been proposed. The heat treatment results, first, in condensation of the Ag nanoclusters into larger Ag nanoparticles and loss of Ag luminescence, and further heat treatment results in precipitation of a luminescent-loss nano- and microcrystalline Ag phases onto the surface of the glass. Thus, the oxyfluoride fiber doped with luminescent Ag nanoclusters was pulled from the viscous glass melt and its attenuation loss was 0.19 dB/cm in the red part of the spectrum; i.e. near to the maximum of Ag nanoclusters luminescence band. The nucleation centers for the Ag nanoclusters in oxyfluoride glasses have been suggested to be the fluorine vacancies and their nanoclusters.

► Preparation of viscous glass precursors doped with Ag nanoclusters. ► Preparation of oxyfluoride glasses and fibers doped with luminescent Ag nanoclusters. ► Mechanism for formation of Ag nanoclusters in the oxyfluoride glasses and fibers. ► The role of nanoclusters of fluorine vacancies in nucleation of Ag nanoclusters.