Directional solidification, thermo-mechanical and optical properties of (Mg(x)Ca(1-x))(3)Al(2)Si(3)O(12) glasses doped with Nd(3+) ions.

In this work glass rods of (Mg(x)Ca(1-x))(3)Al(2)Si(3)O(12) (x = 0, 0.5 and 1) doped with 1 wt% Nd(2)O(3) were produced by the laser floating zone technique. Thermo-mechanical and spectroscopic properties have been evaluated. The three glass samples present good thermo-mechanical properties, with similar hardness, toughness and glass transition temperatures. The spectroscopic characterization shows spectral shifts in absorption and emission spectra. These spectral shifts together with Judd-Ofelt intensity parameters and ionic packing ratio have been used to investigate the local structure surrounding the Nd(3+) ions and the covalency of the Nd-O bond. All obtained results agree and confirm the higher covalency of the Nd-O bond in the Ca(3)Al(2)Si(3)O(12) glass.