Effect of Al3+ on the photoluminescence properties of Ni2+-doped sol–gel SiO2 glass

Ni2+-doped SiO2, Al2O3–99SiO2 glasses have been prepared by sol–gel method. The effect of Al3+ on the photoluminescence (PL) properties of Ni2+-doped SiO2 has been studied. Ni2+-doped sol–gel SiO2 glass shows an emission band at 510 nm, which is attributed to the d–d transition 1T2(1D)→3A2(3F) of Ni2+ in octahedral sites. The emission of Ni2+ ions is greatly enhanced by the addition of Al3+ into SiO2. The study on Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and UV–Vis absorption spectra shows that the glass network and coordination environment of Ni2+ are changed after adding Al3+ into SiO2.