Luminescent properties of Ce3+-activated lithium borosilicate glasses tuned by various ratios of lithium to boron

Highlights: • Ce3+-activated lithium borosilicate glass was developed for neutron detection. • Ce3+-activated lithium borosilicate glass contains 80 mol% lithium and boron mixtures with large cross-section. • The integrated emission intensity of Ce3+ ions is enhanced by a factor of 13.5 and 1.2 under UV light and X-ray excitation, respectively. • Ce3+-activated lithium borosilicate glass is featured with the broad band centered at 350 nm. Motivated by the urgent practical requirement of neutron detection, Ce³⁺-activated lithium borosilicate glasses consisting of 80 mol% lithium and boron mixtures with high neutron capture cross-section were synthesized by melt quenching method in air. The structures of lithium borosilicate glasses were revealed by both FTIR and Raman spectra. The effects of Li/B ratios on the optical properties, such as optical transmittance, photoluminescence, decay lifetime and radioluminescence (RL) were investigated in detail. It is found that the integrated emission intensity of Ce³⁺ ions can be enhanced by a factor of 13.5 and 1.2 under UV light and X-ray excitation, respectively. The developed Ce³⁺-activated lithium borosilicate glass is featured with the emission band centered at 350 nm and the lifetime within 25–30 ns, which shows promising application for thermal neutron detection.