Characterization of structure and properties of MgO-Al2O3-SiO2-B2O3-Cr2O3 glass-ceramics

•MgO-Al2O3-SiO2-B2O3-Cr2O3 glass-ceramics are prepared and characterized.•Cr2O3 as network modifier to decrease crystallization temperature.•The few Cr2O3 dopants have great positive effects on mechanical strength.•A long luminescence decay time is present in 0.15 mol% Cr2O3 doped. MgO-Al2O3-SiO2 (MAS)-based glass-ceramic has excellent properties and is gradually being used in the field of new functional materials. Here, we investigated the crystallization progress (the evolution of crystalline phase and microstructure), luminescence and mechanical properties of MAS-based glass-ceramic with Cr2O3 doped. The obtained results show that the glass stability decreases gradually with increasing Cr2O3 content. Structurally, the predominant phase in glass-ceramics varies from α-cordierite to spinel, mullite and sapphirine-2 M. The analysis of crystal field parameters confirms that the added Cr3+ ions located in a strong crystal environment and explains the appearance of the sharp peak at 690 cm−1 and long decay time. The prepared sample with 0.15 mol% Cr2O3 has low bulk density and high mechanical performances. We therefore show that a few Cr2O3 dopants have positive effects on both luminescence and physical behavior, which is great importance for tuning MgO-Al2O3-SiO2 based glass-ceramics in optical device applications.