Journal of Materials Research

Table of Contents - January 2001 - Volume  16   

Articles

Thermally reversible γ-ray-induced redox reaction between substitutional iron and aluminum impurity centers in a silica glass

Radhaballabh Debnatha1 c1

a1 Central Glass and Ceramic Research Institute, Calcutta 700 032, India

Abstract

The magnetic properties of the substitutional iron and aluminum impurity centers in a sintered Vycor silica glass were studied before and after 1.1–1.3 MeV γ irradiation. Observation of two overlapping spin resonances (g ∼ 4.20–4.28) in the spectra of both the irradiated and preirradiated glasses indicated the existence of two types of tetra coordinated substitutional iron centers of the [FeO4 −/Na+]0 type. The intensity of these electron-paramagnetic resonance (EPR) signals decreased upon g irradiation of the glass with concomitant generation of aluminum hole center [AlO4]0, which was manifested by the occurrence of a new six-line EPR signal with g 4 2.009, while thermal annealing of these aluminum oxygen hole centers restores the intensity of the iron centers almost to their preirradiation level. This result suggests that if not the whole, a major fraction of the electrons released in the process of g-ray-induced hole trapping at the Al site are captured by the substitutional iron centers. The electron traps, thus formed, are quite stable and can be deactivated by thermal stimulation.

(Received February 07 2000)

(Accepted September 22 2000)

Correspondence:

c1 e-mail: debnathr@hotmail.com

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