Light waveguides containing silver, introduced by ion-exchange process in soda-lime glass, has been annealed in hydrogen atmosphere at temperatures in the 120-250 degrees C range. Annealings cause a near-surface precipitation of metallic silver to form nanometer-size clusters with good uniformity in size and spatial distribution. Hydrogen permeation and ion-exchange between hydrogen and sodium (which remains in the glass matrix after silver-for-sodium exchange) are steps of the annealing process. A further step is the diffusion of silver ions towards the surface, and its eventual precipitation, with an activation energy close to that measured for silver-sodium interdiffusion in glasses of comparable composition.
Silver nanoclusters formation in ion-exchanged waveguides by annealing in hydrogen atmosphere
DE MARCHI, GIOVANNA;CACCAVALE, FEDERICO CLAUDIO;GONELLA, FRANCESCO;MATTEI, GIOVANNI;MAZZOLDI, PAOLO;BATTAGLIN, GIANCARLO;
1996
Abstract
Light waveguides containing silver, introduced by ion-exchange process in soda-lime glass, has been annealed in hydrogen atmosphere at temperatures in the 120-250 degrees C range. Annealings cause a near-surface precipitation of metallic silver to form nanometer-size clusters with good uniformity in size and spatial distribution. Hydrogen permeation and ion-exchange between hydrogen and sodium (which remains in the glass matrix after silver-for-sodium exchange) are steps of the annealing process. A further step is the diffusion of silver ions towards the surface, and its eventual precipitation, with an activation energy close to that measured for silver-sodium interdiffusion in glasses of comparable composition.
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