Devitrification abilities of erbium borosilicate glasses

Glasses with high content of rare earths had important application in laser protective materials. The study on the crystallization of rare earth glasses was helpful to prepare transparent glasses with high content of rare earth. The transparent erbium borosilicate glasses which was boron rich, silicate rich, and aluminate rich, respectively, were prepared, and heat-treated at 1100°C. The crystallization of Er₂O₃-B₂O₃ -SiO₂-Al₂O₃ glasses was analyzed using XRD and SEM, and the effect of the glass composition on the devitrification products was also investigated. The results showed that the local structure of erbium borosilicate glasses was similar to the structure of ErBO₃ crystal. The transmission loss happened on boron rich, silicate rich, and aluminate rich glasses. The transmission loss of rare-earth glasses was caused by the crystallization. ErBO₃ had a tendency towards devitrification of erbium borosilicate glasses.