Hybridization of two-dimensional glass network by graphene nanopowder/PbO/CaO@P2O5 for promising telecommunication applications

•Graphene-doped lead-calcium phosphate glassy samples have been obtained.•The X-ray diffraction revealed the amorphous nature of the studied samples.•FTIR showed a decrease in the number of the terminal oxygen atoms when the G-content increased.•The Drude-Lorentz approximation has been used to simulate the optical dielectric loss.•The studied samples can act as traps for different electromagnetic radiation and telecommunication applications. In this work, the conventional lead-calcium phosphate glass, PbO/CaO@P2O5, has been doped with graphene nanopowder (G), which is considered a two-dimensional organic agent. The samples were created by adding different amounts of graphene (G) to one mole of PbO/CaO@P2O5 to create a set of phosphate graphene-based glasses named as G-PbO/CaO@P2O5. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns revealed the amorphous nature of the studied samples, while the Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectra showed the participation of the carbon atoms in the glass matrix by forming C-O bonds. Also, FTIR showed a decrease in the number of the terminal oxygen atoms when the G-content increased. While, the UV–Vis spectra showed an increase in the value of the optical transmittance and a blue shift in the position of the optical band edge when the G-content increases. The Hydrogenic Excitonic (HEM) model has been used to fit the experimental absorption coefficient, where some valuable parameters are resulted. Also, the Drude-Lorentz approximation has been used to simulate the optical dielectric loss where two single oscillators were needed to fit the experimental data. The resulting value of the plasma frequency is enclosed in the terahertz zone. The optical characterizations suggested that the studied samples act as traps for different electromagnetic radiation and telecommunication applications.