Multifunctional vitreous materials based on heavy metal oxides and rare-earth-doped oxyfluorides for application in photonics

• Grant number: 20/11038-2
• Support type: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate
• Effective date (Start): October 01, 2021
• Effective date (End): February 29, 2024
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Chemistry - Inorganic Chemistry
• Principal researcher: Danilo Manzani
• Grantee: Ricardo Santos Baltieri
• Home Institution: Instituto de Química de São Carlos (IQSC). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Carlos , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Glasses are versatile materials in composition and structure, which allow various applications from ornaments to complex waveguides and sensors. Its high demand in telecommunications applications is related to its interactions with electromagnetic waves, thus light. In the most recent studies, the challenges are related to finding optimal conditions for its manufacture, such as composition and obtaining specific optical, thermal, and electrical properties. In this research, it will be studied to obtain a multifunctional glass, focusing on near-infrared, and beginning of the middle infrared. This region of the electromagnetic spectrum is of great interest in telecommunication and detection of some molecules because much of the bonds interact with light at these wavelengths. For this, after a brief review of the literature, it was identified that tellurite and heavy metal oxides glasses are potential candidates for these applications due to their greater transparency in this region, while the use of fluorides contributes to the reduction of some undesirable molecular groups, such as OH. Besides, the luminescent properties from the addition of rare earth ions will be studied, which have high solubility in these compositions. All these materials obtained will be characterized concerning their thermal stability and optical property. In the final stage of the project, optical fibers will be obtained mainly from the suction method and by rod in tube. Finally, it seeks to obtain a multifunctional material with wide transparency in the electromagnetic spectrum, partly infrared and can be extended to visible, for applications such as waveguides or detectors of gases and organic molecules. (AU)