Thermal, structural and spectroscopic properties of silico-aluminous vitreous monoliths doped with neodymium and erbium via sol–gel process

The aim of this work was to develop silico-aluminous vitreous monoliths pure and doped with neodymium and erbium ions using the sol–gel method. Molar proportions of tetraethylorthosilicate:etanol:deionized water:aluminum acetate:nitric acid were 1:2:2:0.03:0.05 mol, respectively. The molar ratio of lanthanide in vitreous monoliths was 0.01, 0.02 and 0.04 mol. The mixture was stirred on a heated plate at 60 °C for 2 h, after being poured into cylindrical acrylic molds. The monoliths were dried at 25 °C for 20 days. The samples were characterized by TG, DTA, XRD, FTIR, UV–Vis and luminescence spectroscopy. Based on the verified properties, the obtained monoliths have great potential for applications in photonic devices, such as solid-state lasers used in optical spectroscopy and medical-surgical and dental procedures.