Evaluation of physical, structural, and optical characteristics of sodium borosilicate glasses modified with Y2O3

A new series of sodium borosilicate glasses doped with different concentrations of Y₂O₃, with the composition of 58B₂O₃–12SiO₂–(\(30{-}x\))Na₂O–\(x\) Y₂O₃, with x = 0, 1, 2, 4, and 8 mol%, were prepared by melt-quenching methods. The amorphous status was confirmed by XRD analysis. The molar volume (\(V_{m}\) cm³/mol) of these glasses decreased from 27.01 to 24.25, while the density (ρ g/cm³) increased from 2.45 to 3.27 g/cm³. The FTIR technique examined the structure of the fabricated glasses. The role of yttria in the glass is investigated. As a result, the concentration of (BOs) increases with the rising content of Y₂O₃ in the BSNY glass matrix. This increase in BO₄ enhances the overall structural integrity of the glass. The optical properties of the glass system were systematically investigated. A decrease in the energy gap was observed with increasing yttria concentration in the fabricated composition, while the refractive index exhibited a corresponding increase. The optical band gap values ranged from 3.56 to 2.91 eV, and the refractive index varied between 2.25 and 2.44, respectively. Additional factors and coefficients, including optical conductivity, electronegativity, metallization, reflection loss, steepness parameter, and transmission factor, were accurately evaluated. The fabricated glass system demonstrates significant potential as a promising material for advanced optical and electronic applications.