Luminescent Properties of Composites Based on Silicate Porous Glasses Activated with Bismuth and Silver

Bismuth-containing composite materials (CMs) with variable silver content are synthesized by impregnating porous silicate glass matrices in acidified aqueous-salt solutions of Bi(NO3)3·5H2O in the presence of AgNO3 with their subsequent heat treatment at 650 or 870°C and their luminescent properties are studied. The synthesized materials exhibit photoluminescence in a wide spectral range (220–900 nm) due to the presence of various active centers (Bi3+, Bi2+, Bi+ ions, bismuth dimers, bismuth active centers (BACs) associated with silicon, Ag+ ions, silver nanoclusters, silicon oxygen-deficient centers, =Si0 centers).