Effect of SnO and Bi2O3 on the elastic moduli of silicate glass with high refractivity and small photoelasticity

A correlation between the elastic modulus and photoelastic constant (PEC) was studied in binary Sn2+- and Bi3+-containing silicate glass. The Young’s and shear moduli decrease with the increase in the refractive index, whereas they increase with the increase in the PEC. The former is directly related to the strain-optic coefficient, and the latter is inversely related to the elasto-optic coefficient. A working hypothesis for obtaining highly refractive and very small photoelastic silicate glass is proposed based on the short-range structures of SnO- and Bi2O3-silicate glass that have been elucidated using 29Si magic angle spinning-nuclear magnetic resonance.