Optimization of Heat Treatment and Cu Ions Additions to Enhance Optical and Photoluminescence Properties of Transparent Mica Glass Ceramic

A set of mica glasses containing copper ions were synthesized using melt quenching technique with the chemical composition Na (1 − X ) Cu x Mg 3 AlSi 3 O 10 F 2 , where X = 0, 0.05, 0.07, and 0.1. The samples were crystallized at temperatures obtained by differential thermal analysis (DTA) data. X-ray analysis confirmed the crystallization of mica (NaAl 3 Si 3 O 11 ), MgF 2 and pyrope (Mg 3 Al 2 Si 3 O 12 ). Transparent glass ceramic with nano-sized crystal < 15 nm was obtained after heat treatment at 550°C/4 h+650°C/0.5 h. The characteristic peaks of Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) for glass and glass ceramic were due to the SiO 4 group. The optical properties were investigated using ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis) absorption spectra. The optical band gap energies for glasses were also calculated, revealing E opt =1.9 for X = 0 and increased to 3.45 eV for X = 0.1, i.e., located in the semiconductor range. The photoluminescence (PL) properties and CIE chromaticity diagrams of the as-prepared mica glasses and transparent glass ceramic revealed variation in color from pale purple to blue and light blue. These results indicate that the prepared mica materials can be used in different applications.