CeO2 Influence on Au Plasmonic Nanoparticle Formation in ZnO–MgO–Al2O3–SiO2 Glass

The effect of a small addition of CeO 2 on the process of thermally stimulated formation of Au plasmonic nanoparticles in ZnO–MgO–Al 2 O 3 –SiO 2 glass containing the crystallization catalysts TiO 2 and ZrO 2 was investigated by means of absorption spectroscopy, differential-scanning calorimetry, and x-ray diffraction analysis. It is shown that on heating glass from temperatures slightly above T g up to temperatures near the exothermic peak the plasmon resonance band of nanoparticles undergoes a nonlinear shift, but the addition of CeO 2 substantially expands the shift zone to the long wavelengths of the spectrum. Computer modeling of the experimental absorption spectra was performed, the sizes of the formed nanoparticles were calculated, and a mechanism whereby adding CeO 2 effects the formation of plasmonic Au nanoparticles is proposed.