Effect of gamma-irradiation on the photoluminescence of silver-doped lithium triborate glass.

Optical-luminescence properties, including absorption spectra, photoluminescence excitation spectra, and changes in photoluminescence spectra after irradiation with γ-rays in the dose range of 1-3 Gy, were measured for novel L i B 3 O 5:A g dosimeter glass. A clear dependence of the intensity of the photoluminescence (PL), with a maximum of approximately 300 nm, on the dose value when excited by light with λ e x c =220n m was observed. The mechanism of PL in γ-irradiated L i B 3 O 5:A g glass is proposed to be a consequence of radiation annihilation with the emission of relaxed exciton-like electronic excitations with the participation of impurity defects (A g 0) in the glass structure. Considering that L i B 3 O 5 has an effective atomic number of Z e f f =7.39, which is the closest to Z e f f =7.42 of human body tissue, L i B 3 O 5:A g glass can be very promising for γ-dosimetry in medical practice during radiation therapy of patients with cancer. The presence of lithium Li(6) and boron B(10) isotopes increases the sensitivity of L i B 3 O 5:A g glass to neutrons, which is promising for the manufacture of individual neutron dosimeters for applications in a new field of radiation therapy-neutron therapy.

On the issue of textured crystallization of Ba(NO3)2 in mesoporous SiO2: Raman spectroscopy and lattice dynamics analysis.

The lattice dynamics of preferentially aligned nanocrystals formed upon drying of aqueous Ba(NO3)2 solutions in a mesoporous silica glass traversed by tubular pores of approximately 12 nm are explored by Raman scattering. To interpret the experiments on the confined nanocrystals polarized Raman spectra of bulk single crystals and X-ray diffraction experiments are also performed. Since a cubic symmetry is inherent to Ba(NO3)2, a special Raman scattering geometry was utilized to separate the phonon modes of Ag and Eg species. Combining group-theory analysis and ab initio lattice dynamics calculations a full interpretation of all Raman lines of the bulk single crystal is achieved. Apart from a small confinement-induced line broadening, the peak positions and normalized peak intensities of the Raman spectra of the nanoconfined and macroscopic crystals are identical. Interestingly, the Raman scattering experiment indicates the existence of comparatively large,∼10-20 µm, single-crystalline regions of Ba(NO3)2 embedded in the porous host, near three orders of magnitude larger than the average size of single nanopores. This is contrast to the initial assumption of non-interconnected pores. It rather indicates an inter-pore propagation of the crystallization front, presumably via microporosity in the pore walls.

Optical nonlinearities in LiKB4O7-Ag2O and LiKB4O7-Ag2O-Gd2O3 glasses containing Ag nanoparticles.

The results on optical studies of LiKB4O7-Ag2O and LiKB4O7-Ag2O-Gd2O3 glasses containing Ag nanoparticles formed during annealing in vacuum and air are presented. Strong bands that appear in optical transmission spectra of the samples correspond to plasmon excitations associated with Ag nanoparticles. The average radius of Ag nanoparticles was retrieved from FWHM of the plasmon bands and found to be 1.8-3.8 nm. Nonlinear optical properties of the glasses were studied by the single-beam Z-scan technique. In particular, influence of Ag nanoparticles on nonlinear refraction n2 and nonlinear absorption ß coefficients was investigated.

Formation of silver nanoparticles in Li2B4O7-Ag2O and Li2B4O7-Gd2O3-Ag2O borate glasses.

Results of investigations of 98.0Li2B4O7-2.0Ag2O and 97.0Li2B4O7-2.0Ag2O-1.0Gd2O3 glasses with Ag nanoparticles (Ag NPs), formed by thermal treatment in vacuum and in air, are presented. Intensive plasmon absorption bands, connected with Ag NPs, were observed in their optical transmission spectra. It is ascertained that in volumes of both glasses there is formed a small number of Ag NPs, whereas their main mass is concentrated near the surface of samples. The mechanism of Ag NPs formation is proposed. A conclusion is drawn that annealing in vacuum does not necessarily require the presence of reducing ions, whereas formation of nanoparticles at annealing in air is impossible without reducing agents. Structural defects play a decisive role in the Ag NPs nucleation process. Radii of formed Ag NPs are estimated by the half-width of plasmon bands, and by means of small-angle x-ray scattering.