Journal of the American Ceramic Society, Vol.99, No.9, 2971-2976, 2016
Recrystallization of Er3+:CaF2 in Transparent Fluorophosphate Glass-Ceramics with the Co-Firing Method
Transparent glass-ceramics containing Er3+:CaF2 crystallites were prepared with the co-firing method. The formation process of the glass-ceramics was investigated by means of SEM, XRD, and DSC. The results reveal that the Er3+:CaF2 nanocrystals do not dissolve into the fluorophosphates (FP) glassmelt until the co-firing temperature increase higher than about 920 degrees C. Below this temperature, Er3+:CaF2 survives the co-firing process and the nanocrystals just grow to spherical crystals of micrometers in size. Co-firing temperature higher than this temperature leads to the dissolution of Er3+:CaF2 and the dissolved Er3+:CaF2 recrystallized during quenching process and takes the shape of dendrite.