The Perparation And Optical Peroperties Of Ag-In₂O₃ Nanostructures Doped Into Glass

Metallic nanocrystalline glass composite has become a hot research point in the world for their unique surface plasmon resonance (SPR)effect. However, the optical applications have some limitations because the glass could be opaque with the introduction of metal nanocrystals.Aiming at the problem, this paper presents the Ag-In2O3 nanostructure incorporated into the sodium borosilicate glass host for ensuring the high transparency. The glass containing Ag-In2O3 nanostructure was successfully prepared through sol-gel method plus a controlled gas, and the preparation, microstructure, and optical properties of the as-obtained glass were studied in detail. The specific content of this paper is as follows:Part 1. The sodium borosilicate glasses containing Ag-In2O3 nanostructures (Ag-In2O3 glass) was prepared through sol-gel method plus a controlled gas. The microstructural analysis shows that the Ag and In elements in the glass exist in two forms: crystalline Ag nanoparticles and non-crystalline In2O3. And the crystalline Ag nanoparticles show the small size, uniform distribution and good dispersion in the glass host,thus causing the SPR effect and the quantum confinement effect. More importantly, the Ag-In2O3 glass exhibits a high transmittance greater than 70% in almost the whole visible spectral range.Part 2. The fluorescence properties and nonlinear absorption effects of Ag-In2O3 glass are also studied. Compared to the glass incorporated with individual Ag nanostructure (Ag glass) and the pure sodium borosilicate glass (Pure glass), the fluorescent intensity of Ag-In2O3 glass is obviously enhanced, which could originate from the local electric field induced by the SPR effect of the Ag nanoparticles, the small particle size of the Ag nanoparticles, and the energy transfer between the Ag nanoparticles and In3+ ions. Meanwhile, the open-aperture Z-scan technique further shows a typical two-photon absorption effect in the Ag-In2O3 glass, where the nonlinear absorption coefficient ? is determined to be in the order of ?10-9 cm W-1, and the normalized transmittance decreased with increasing input fluence. It means that the Ag-In2O3 glass has significant nonlinear absorption effects and potential optical limiting behavior. It is also found that the SPR effect and the quantum confinement effect are the important affecting factors for nonlinear absorption effects through the research on the mechanism of the nonlinear absorption effects.