Blue green emission from a Cu+-Doped transparent material prepared by sintering porous glass

A colorless transparent, blue green emission material was fabricated by sintering porous glass impregnated with copper ions. The emission spectral profile obtained from Cu+ -doped high silica glass (HSG) by 267-mn monochromatic light excitation matches that obtained by pumping with an 800-nm femtosecond laser, indicating that the emissions in both cases come from an identical origin. The upconversion emission excited by 800-nm femtosecond laser is considered to be a three-photon excitation process. A tentative scheme of upconverted emission from Cu+ -doped HSG was also proposed. The glass materials presented herein are expected to find application in lamps, high density optical storage, and three-dimensional color displays.

Spectroscopic properties of Nd3+-doped high silica glass prepared by sintering porous glass

A new kind of Nd3+, -doped high silica glass (SiO2 > 96% (mass fraction)) was obtained by sintering porous glass impregnated with Nd3+, ions. The absorption and luminescence properties of high silica glass doped with different Nd3+, concentrations were studied. The intensity parameters Omega(t) (t = 2, 4, 6), spontaneous emission probability, fluorescence lifetime, radiative quantum efficiency, fluorescence branching ratio, and stimulated emission cross section were calculated using the Judd-Ofelt theory. The optimal Nd3+ concentration in high silica glass was 0.27% (mole fraction) because of its high quantum efficiency and emission intensity. By comparing the spectroscopic parameters with other Nd3+ doped oxide glasses and commercial silicate glasses, the Nd3+-doped high silica glasses are likely to be a promising material used for high power and high repetition rate lasers.

Fluorescence properties and laser demonstrations of Nd-doped high silica glasses prepared by sintering nanoporous glass

Porous glass with high-SiO2 content was impregnated with Nd ions, and subsequently sintered at 1100 degrees C into a compact non-porous glass in air or reducing atmosphere. Sintering in a reducing atmosphere produced an intense violet-blue fluorescence at 394 nm. However, the sintering atmospheres almost did not affect the fluorescence properties in the infrared range. A good performance Nd3+-doped silica microchip laser operating at 1064 nm was demonstrated. The Nd-doped sintering glasses with high-SiO2 content are potential host materials for high power solid-state lasers and new transparent fluorescence materials. (c) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Blue emission from Eu2+ -doped high silica glass by near-infrared femtosecond laser irradiation

Eu2+-doped high silica glass (HSG) is fabricated by sintering porous glass which is impregnated with europium ions. Eu2+-doped HSG is revealed to yield intense blue emission excited by ultraviolet (UV) light and near-infrared femtosecond laser. The emission profile obtained by UV excitation can be well traced by near-infrared femtosecond laser. The upconversion emission excited by 800 nm femtosecond laser is considered to be related to a two-photon absorption process from the relationship between the integrated intensity and the pump power. A tentative scheme of upconverted blue emission from Eu2+-doped HSG was also proposed. The HSG materials presented herein are expected to find applications in high density optical storage and three-dimensional color displays. (c) 2008 American Institute of Physics.

Preparation and spectroscopic properties of Er3+-doped high silica glass fabricated by sintering nanoporous glass

A compact nonporous high silica (SiO2 % > 96%) glass containing 3400 ppm Er3+ ions, which was about ten times higher than that in Er-doped silica fiber amplifier (EDSFA), was synthesized by sintering porous glass immersed into erbium nitrate solution. The 1532 nm fluorescence has a FWHM (Full Width at Half Maximum) of 45 nm wider than that of EDSFA and possesses the glass with potential application in broadband fiber amplifiers. The Judd-Ofelt theoretical analysis reflects that Er3+ ions are located in a higher covalent environment which are comparable to those of aluminosilicate glass. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

An etched porous interface for on-line capillary electrophoresis-based two-dimensional separation system

The construction and evaluation of an on-column etched fused-silica porous junction for on-line coupling of capillary isoelectric focusing (CIEF) with capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) are described. Where two separation columns were integrated on a single piece of fused-silica capillary through the etched similar to4 to 5-mm length porous junction along the capillary. The junction is easily prepared by etching a short section of the capillary wall with HF after removing the polyimide coating. The etched section becomes a porous glass membrane that allows only small ions related to the background electrolyte to pass through when high voltage is applied across the separation capillary. The primary advantages of this novel porous junction interface over previous designs (in which the interface is usually formed by fracturing the capillary followed by connecting the two capillaries with a section of microdialysis hollow fiber membrane) are no dead volume, simplicity, and ruggedness, which is particularly well suited for an on-line coupling capillary electrophoresis-based multiple dimensional separation system. The performance of the 2D CIEF-CZE system constructed by such an etched porous junction was evaluated by the analyses of protein mixtures.

Surface reactivity enhancement of silica-based glass-ceramic scaffolds

A paradigm shift is taking place from using transplanting tissue and synthetic implants to a tissue engineering approach that aims to regenerate damaged tissues by combining cells from the body with highly porous scaffold biomaterials, which act as templates, guiding the growth of new tissue. The central focus of this thesis was to produce porous glass and glass-ceramic scaffolds that exhibits a bioactive and biocompatible behaviour with specific surface reactivity in synthetic physiological fluids and cell-scaffold interactions, enhanced by composition and thermal treatments applied. Understanding the sintering behaviour and the interaction between the densification and crystallization processes of glass powders was essential for assessing the ideal sintering conditions for obtaining a glass scaffolds for tissue engineering applications. Our main goal was to carry out a comprehensive study of the bioactive glass sintering, identifying the powder size and sintering variables effect, for future design of sintered glass scaffolds with competent microstructures. The developed scaffolds prepared by the salt sintering method using a 3CaO.P2O5 - SiO2 - MgO glass system, with additions of Na2O with a salt, NaCl, exhibit high porosity, interconnectivity, pore size distribution and mechanical strength suitable for bone repair applications. The replacement of 6 % MgO by Na2O in the glass network allowed to tailor the dissolution rate and bioactivity of the glass scaffolds. Regarding the biological assessment, the incorporation of sodium to the composition resulted in an inibition cell response for small periods. Nevertheless it was demonstrated that for 21 days the cells response recovered and are similar for both glass compositions. The in vitro behaviour of the glass scaffolds was tested by introducing scaffolds to simulated body fluid for 21 days. Energy-dispersive Xray spectroscopy and SEM analyses proved the existence of CaP crystals for both compositions. Crystallization forming whitlockite was observed to affect the dissolution behaviour in simulated body fluid. By performing different heat treatments, it was possible to control the bioactivity and biocompatability of the glass scaffolds by means of a controlled crystallization. To recover and tune the bioactivity of the glass-ceramic with 82 % crystalline phase, different methods have been applied including functionalization using 3- aminopropyl-triethoxysilane (APTES). The glass ceramic modified surface exhibited an accelerated crystalline hydroxyapatite layer formation upon immersion in SBF after 21 days while the as prepared glass-ceramic had no detected formation of calcium phosphate up to 5 months. A sufficient mechanical support for bone tissue regeneration that biodegrade later at a tailorable rate was achievable with the glass–ceramic scaffold. Considering the biological assessment, scaffolds demonstrated an inductive effect on the proliferation of cells. The cells showed a normal morphology and high growth rate when compared to standard culture plates. This study opens up new possibilities for using 3CaO.P2O5–SiO2–MgO glass to manufacture various structures, while tailoring their bioactivity by controlling the content of the crystalline phase. Additionally, the in vitro behaviour of these structures suggests the high potential of these materials to be used in the field of tissue regeneration.

Development of glass-ceramics from combination of industrial wastes together with boron mining waste

The utilization of borate mineral wastes with glass-ceramic technology was first time studied and primarily not investigated combinations of wastes were incorporated into the research. These wastes consist of; soda lime silica glass, meat bone and meal ash and fly ash. In order to investigate possible and relevant application areas in ceramics, kaolin clay, an essential raw material for ceramic industry was also employed in some studied compositions. As a result, three different glass-ceramic articles obtained by using powder sintering method via individual sintering processes. Light weight micro porous glass-ceramic from borate mining waste, meat bone and meal ash and kaolin clay was developed. In some compositions in related study, soda lime silica glass waste was used as an additive providing lightweight structure with a density below 0.45 g/cm3 and a crushing strength of 1.8±0.1 MPa. In another study within the research, compositions respecting the B2O3–P2O5–SiO2 glass-ceramic ternary system were prepared from; borate wastes, meat bone and meal ash and soda lime silica glass waste and sintered up to 950ºC. Low porous, highly crystallized glass-ceramic structures with density ranging between 1.8 ± 0,7 to 2.0 ± 0,3 g/cm3 and tensile strength ranging between 8,0 ± 2 to 15,0 ± 0,5 MPa were achieved. Lastly, diopside - wollastonite (SiO2-Al2O3-CaO )glass-ceramics from borate wastes, fly ash and soda lime silica glass waste were successfully obtained with controlled rapid sintering between 950 and 1050ºC. The wollastonite and diopside crystal sizes were improved by adopting varied combinations of formulations and heating rates. The properties of the obtained materials show; the articles with a uniform pore structure could be useful for thermal and acoustic insulations and can be embedded in lightweight concrete where low porous glass-ceramics can be employed as building blocks or additive in cement and ceramic industries.

High-flux ceramic membranes with a nanomesh of metal oxide nanofibers

Traditional ceramic separation membranes, which are fabricated by applying colloidal suspensions of metal hydroxides to porous supports, tend to suffer from pinholes and cracks that seriously affect their quality. Other intrinsic problems for these membranes include dramatic losses of flux when the pore sizes are reduced to enhance selectivity and dead-end pores that make no contribution to filtration. In this work, we propose a new strategy for addressing these problems by constructing a hierarchically structured separation layer on a porous substrate using large titanate nanofibers and smaller boehmite nanofibers. The nanofibers are able to divide large voids into smaller ones without forming dead-end pores and with the minimum reduction of the total void volume. The separation layer of nanofibers has a porosity of over 70% of its volume, whereas the separation layer in conventional ceramic membranes has a porosity below 36% and inevitably includes dead-end pores that make no contribution to the flux. This radical change in membrane texture greatly enhances membrane performance. The resulting membranes were able to filter out 95.3% of 60-nm particles from a 0.01 wt % latex while maintaining a relatively high flux of between 800 and 1000 L/m2·h, under a low driving pressure (20 kPa). Such flow rates are orders of magnitude greater than those of conventional membranes with equal selectivity. Moreover, the flux was stable at approximately 800 L/m2·h with a selectivity of more than 95%, even after six repeated runs of filtration and calcination. Use of different supports, either porous glass or porous alumina, had no substantial effect on the performance of the membranes; thus, it is possible to construct the membranes from a variety of supports without compromising functionality. The Darcy equation satisfactorily describes the correlation between the filtration flux and the structural parameters of the new membranes. The assembly of nanofiber meshes to combine high flux with excellent selectivity is an exciting new direction in membrane fabrication.

高硅氧发光玻璃的制备及其荧光性能

abstract {Silica glass is an attractive host matrix for the emission ions of rare earth and transition metal ions because it has small thermal expansion coefficient, strong thermal resistance, large fracture strength and good chemical durability and so on. However, a major obstacle to using it as the host matrix is a phenomenon of concentration quenching. In this paper, we introduces a novel method to restrain the concentration quenching by using a porous glass with SiO₂ content > 95% (in mass) and prepare intense fluorescence high-SiO₂ glasses and high-SiO₂ laser glass. The porous glass with high-SiO₂ content was impregnated with rare-earth and transition metal ions, and consequently sintered into a compact non-porous glass in reduction or oxidization atmospheres. Various intense fluorescence glasses with high emission yields, a vacuum ultraviolet-excited intensely luminescent glass, high silica glass containing high concentration of Er³⁺ ion, ultrabroad infrared luminescent Bi-doped high silica glass and Nd³⁺-doped silica microchip laser glass were obtained by this method. The porous glass is also favorable for co-impregnating multi-active-ions. It can bring effective energy transferring between various active ions in the glass and increases luminescent intensity and extend range of excitation spectrum. The luminescent active ions-doped high-SiO₂ glasses are potential host materials for high power solid-state lasers and new transparent fluorescence materials.}

钕离子掺杂和钕铝共掺高硅氧玻璃的光谱性质研究

Nd-doped and Nd-Al-codoped high silica glasses were obtained by sintering porous glass impregnated with Nd3+ and Al3+ ions. The absorption, fluorescence spectra and fluorescence lifetime of Nd-doped and Nd-Al-codoped high silica glasses were measured. The intensity parameters Omega(1), ( t = 2, 4, 6), fluorescence lifetime, radiative quantum efficiency and stimulated emission cross section were calculated by Judd-Ofelt theory. The effect of aluminum codoping on the fluorescence and structural properties of Nd-doped silica glass has been discussed. By comparing the spectroscopic properties with other Nd-doped oxide glasses and commercial silicate glasses, this Nd-doped high silica glass is likely to be a promising laser material for use in high power and high repetition rate lasers.

铕离子掺杂和铕铝共掺高硅氧玻璃的光谱性能

Eu-doped and Eu/Al-codoped high silica glass to investigate the properties of europium ions in high silica glasses were obtained. The porous glasses were immersed into europium nitrate solution or mixed solution of europium nitrate and aluminum nitrate. After dried, the doped porous glasses were sintered at 1200°C to obtain Eu-doped and Eu/Al-codoped high silica glasses. The reduction of Eu³⁺&rarrEu²⁺ was observed in Eu/Al-codoped high silica glass. The ratio of trivalent and bivalent europium ions was adjusted by the addition of aluminum ions and then the luminescent color of the glasses was controlled. A detailed mechanism was given to explain this reduction process.

An Electro-osmotic Fuel Pump for Dircet Methanol Fuel Cells

This work reports on the design and performance evaluation of a miniature direct methanol fuel cell(DMFC)integrated with an electro_osmotic(EO)pump for methanol delivery.Electro-osmotic pumps require minimal parasitic power while boasting no moving parts and simple fuel cell integration.Here ,aneletro-osmotic pump is realized from a commercially available porous glass frit.We characterize a custom-fabricated DMFC with a free convection cathode and coupled to an extennal electro-osmotic pump operated at applied potentials of 4.0,7.0,and 10V.Maximum gross power density of our free convection DMFC(operated at 50°)is 55 mW/cm2 using 4.0 mol/L concentration methanol solution supplied by the EO pump.Experimental results show that electro-osmotic pumps can deliver 2.0,4.0 and 8.0mol/L methanol/water mixtures to DMFCs while utilizing ~5.0% of the fuel cell power.Furthermore ,we discuss pertinent design considerations when using electro-osmotic pumps with DMFCs and areas of further study.

Vitrocerâmicas porosas via conformação e consolidação com amidos

The search for new methods of manufacture of glass-ceramics with controlled porosity and permeability is interesting of the industrial and commercial point of view, and a challenge of great complexity. Porous glass-ceramics produced by sintering and crystallization of glasses can find applications, for example, as filters, materials with bactericidal properties, bio-implants, as catalytic and enzymes supports, among others. An alternative and low cost method of ceramic manufacture reaching different levels of porosity, for diverse purposes, is the conformation assisted by addition of starch, known as consolidation with starch. The objective of this project is to study the process of conformation with starch for making porous glass-ceramics from a commercial glass in the system Na2O-CaO-SiO2, whose kinetics of sintering by viscous flow and surface crystallization are known. The method of conformation with starches is innovative for glass-ceramics and its development opens the way for obtaining a new class of materials. We found a possible route for the production of porous compacts of glass particles, from the powder preparation to the removal of starch. It was observed that a glass powder obtained by dry milling in a ball mill with alumina balls for 24 h, afterwards mixed with water in an eccentric ball mill for 2 h, without the addition of a deflocculant, and subsequently mixed with starch also in an eccentric ball mill for 5 min resulted in slurries stable against sedimentation