Comparative Studies of Cerium and Iron Borosilicate Glass systems: Structural and Magnetic Properties

Abstract

The comparison of the structural and magnetic properties of boro-silicate glasses with the addition of two different oxidic ingredients was discussed in this work.  The density of these glass systems was observed to increase within the range of 2.49-2.95 g/cm3, accompanied by a rise in the molar volume as cerium and iron oxides increased. The results have been primarily interpreted on the basis of the variation in the structural role played in both glass systems.  Cerium oxide exhibits a strong tendency to reduce the number of non-bridging oxygen (NBO) atoms in the glass network, acting predominantly as a glass former in most content regions. In contrast, Fe₂O₃ behaves mainly as a glass modifier at low concentrations, while it increasingly contributes as a glass network former at higher contents. The magnetic behavior was examined using a vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM) at room temperature under an applied magnetic field ranging from −20,000 to 20,000 G. The studied glass samples exhibited significant changes in magnetic behavior with the incorporation of both oxides into borosilicate network. The obtained results revealed that, ferrimagnetic signals were detected for most of the investigated samples and their magnetic response is attributed to two main factors: the order of network structure and concentration of different oxidation states of iron and cerium oxides. Besides, there is a noticeable variation in the magnetization appeared at the highest Fe₂O₃ concentration(10mol%) in the glass system compared with other glass samples. This indicates a strong correlation between the structural characteristics and magnetic properties of iron borosilicate glass system. Such behavior, could be attributed to the high iron content, which reduces the distance between Fe³⁺ ions, thereby strengthening stronger magnetic interactions. At higher Fe₂O₃ concentrations, Fe–O–Fe linkages become dominant, promoting superexchange interactions between neighboring Fe³⁺ ions. Consequently, the magnetic response can be characterized by ferromagnetic behavior.