Scintillation properties of Tb3+ and Sn2+ co-doped phosphate glasses

Melt-quenched phosphate glasses prepared with fixed Tb 3+ content alongside SnO added up to 5.0 mol% were characterized by density and optical absorption measurements, and radioluminescence (RL) evaluated under continuous X-ray excitation including at high temperatures. The densities exhibited some variations which were suggested to be influenced by the Sn 4+ concentration leading to more compact phases. The optical absorption spectra were consistent with Tb 3+ occurring similarly in the glasses. Comparison of the RL spectra at room temperature showed the most intense emission was obtained for the Tb-doped glass prepared with the highest SnO content supporting a key role from Sn 2+ → Tb 3+ energy transfer. An enhancement of the peak intensity of 2.5× was observed, endorsing codoping with Sn 2+ as an effective strategy to enhance the scintillator behavior of Tb 3+ -containing glasses. The temperature dependence of the scintillation spectra showed minimal variations for the tin-free Tb-doped reference, whereas the tin-containing glasses exhibited distinct intensity enhancements with temperature followed by quenching which depended on the SnO content. • Phosphate glasses with fixed Tb 3+ alongside SnO added up to 5.0 mol% studied • Characterized by density, optical absorption, and radioluminescence measurements including high temperatures • Codoping with Sn 2+ proved an effective strategy to enhance the scintillator behavior of Tb 3+ -containing glasses • An enhancement of the radioluminescence peak intensity of 2.5× at 542 nm was observed • The temperature dependence of the scintillation exhibited distinct behavior depending on the SnO content