Influence of modifier cations on the radiation-induced effects of metaphosphate glasses

Abstract

The influence of different modifying cations on the radiation-induced defect generation in metaphosphate glasses was studied by optical absorption and electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy. For this task, several model glasses were prepared. These were simple metaphosphates of alkaline earths, aluminum and zinc. The synthesized glass samples were irradiated with X-rays and with UV light from an Xe/Hg lamp. The cation-dependent differences in the structure of the phosphate glasses were found to have a great influence on the concentration of some radiation-induced defects and thus on the optical absorption. The influence of the different cations became especially distinct under UV light Irradiation due to the selective interaction of the UV light with the glass samples. Some additional phenomena were observed for the irradiated zinc and magnesium metaphosphate glasses which were not found by the previously undertaken study of complex phosphate glasses.