Effects of CeO₂ and Sb₂O₃ on the Nonlinear Photochemical Process in Ultrashort Laser Gaussian-Bessel Beams Irradiated...

Microfluidic chips and optical elements can be fabricated based on the nonlinear photosensitivity in photo-thermo-refractive (PTR) glass by controlling the growth of nanocrystals in the femtosecond (fs) laser-irradiated region. Here, we focus on CeO₂ and Sb₂O₃ that play important roles in UV irradiation, experimentally investigate the effects of the dopants on the nonlinear photochemical process in PTR glass triggered by fs Gaussian-Bessel beams. The results show that the generation of Ag⁰ atoms and the Ag nanoparticles can be improved by CeO₂ and Sb₂O₃ co-doping. Besides, each multivalent ion in PTR glass possibly participates in the electron transfer processes and contributes to the generation of Ag⁰ atoms. Finally, X-ray diffraction analysis reveals the precipitation of NaF nanocrystals with an average size of 10 to 12 nm after laser irradiation and thermal treatment, which is unrelated to the dopants.