Investigating the effect of V₂O₅ addition on sodium barium borosilicate glasses

V₂O₅ doped sodium barium borosilicate glasses were characterized by photoluminescence spectroscopy and electron probe microanalyzer (EPMA). The glass remains homogeneous for lower concentration of V₂O₅ but a phase separation is observed when V₂O₅ doping is increased beyond 5 mol%. Detailed microanalysis reveals that the phase separated glass consists of a phase containing V, Ba and Si and a separate Si rich phase within the glass matrix. The luminescence study demonstrated that at low concentration the vanadium mainly interacts with the structural units of B/Si while at higher concentrations, V-O-V/ V-O⁻ Na⁺/Ba²⁺ linkages are formed.