Role of copper ion in preventing silver nanoparticles forming in Bi2O3–B2O3–ZnO glass Original Research Article

In the plasma display panel (PDP) industry, the yellowing phenomenon that occurs in the transparent dielectric decreases both optical and electrical properties greatly. The yellowing phenomenon is one of the main problems that must be solved as soon as possible. In this study, we have investigated the effect of a copper ion on the yellowing phenomenon. We had to carefully add copper oxide in the dielectric composition of the PDPs that had the yellowing phenomenon. The state of Cu atoms in the glass was determined by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Cu atoms that were present were both the Cu+ and Cu2+ ions. We believed that the yellowing phenomenon could be controlled by oxidation or reduction of the number of Cu atoms. The amount of Cu2+ ions increased due to the fact that we increased the mole fraction of CuO. When we increased the amount of Cu2+ ions, it caused strong discoloration and decreased the transmittance of the dielectric. Therefore, the content of CuO should properly be controlled to get the best high transmittance possible. This paper presents the preliminary results for the yellowing phenomenon, which influences the transmittance of the dielectric.