Glass formation and physical properties of chalcogenide glasses in Ge–S–Pb system

Chalcogenide glasses based on Ge–S–Pb system were prepared, and the compositional dependence of their physic-chemical properties and glass structure were investigated. Up to 23 mol% Pb can be dissolved in this glass system and the glass-formation region like a small isolated island was found. The effect of the introduction of Pb on the glass structure is discussed by employing Raman spectra. It is shown that the substitution of Pb for Ge decreases the number of [GeS4] and [S3Ge–GeS3] units, leading to the variation of properties, such as Tg, H′, and Hv. The knowledge of this structure–properties relationship of Ge–S–Pb glasses would be of significance to select or to design suitable host glass for optoelectronic applications.