Gamma-ray irradiation induced bulk photochromism in WO3–P2O5 glass

In the present work, photochromism of WO3–P2O5 glass under gamma-ray irradiation was reported. As-prepared glass samples with different WO3 content are all optically transparent in the visible wavelength range thanks to the addition of a small amount of oxidizing couple Sb2O3–NaNO3. The photochromic properties are identified by transmission spectra of the glasses before and after irradiation. The results show that the irradiation induced darkening results from the reduction of W6+ to W5+ or W4+. The existence of WO6 clusters in glasses of high WO3 content is proved by XPS, which is the main reason for the obvious photochromic effects. The WO3–P2O5 glass is a promising candidate in gamma-ray sensitive detector.