Influence of Plasmonic Gold Nanoparticles on the Optical Properties of Oxide Glasses Doped with Rare-Earth Ions

We report on the thermally-induced precipitation of gold plasmonic nanoparticles in phosphate and silicate glasses, doped with Eu³⁺ and Er³⁺ ions. We studied the structure and optical properties of glasses under the heat treatment below and above glass transition temperature. The heat treatment of the glass at temperatures above transition is shown to facilitate the formation of plasmonic gold nanoparticles and decrease near-infrared luminescence intensity of the ions. The formation of pre-plasmonic gold nanoparticles under the low-temperature heat-treatment leads to the increase of luminescence intensity through the energy transfer process. We showed that nanophase separation in silicate glasses allows precise tuning of localized surface plasmon resonance spectral position of gold nanoparticles and paves the way for the development of new glass-based materials for photonics applications.