Transparent glass ceramics: Preparation, characterization and properties

Transparent glass ceramics were prepared in the system Li₂OAl₂O₃SiO₂, MgOAl₂O₃SiO₂ and ZnOAl₂O₃SiO₂ using TiO₂, ZrO₂ and P₂O₅ as nucleators. The major crystalline phases in these samples were spinel, gahnite, ß-quartz solid solutions and a petalite-like phase. These were doped with chromium(III), and spectroscopic properties were measured. The efficiency of luminescence in these glass ceramics was very high compared with that in glass samples, i.e. about 50% in ß-quartz, 75% in the petalite-like phase and close to 100% in gahnite. For practical purposes the results may be important in designing luminescent solar concentrators and lasers based on chromium(III).