Influence of Nd2O3 on the thermal and dielectric properties of Pb-based lead borosilicate glasses

Neodymium has been employed in various Pb-based glass compositions containing ZnO, MgO, CaO, and BaO, to obtain low melting glasses for use as dielectric materials. Thermal analysis (DTA, TMA) was applied for both qualitative and quantitative thermal properties (Tg, CTE) of the glasses, and impedance analysis of the dielectric properties (εr, tanδ) was performed. It was found that with increasing Nd2O3, the glass transition temperature (Tg), the dilatometer softening point (Td) and dielectric constant (εr) became higher. Also, a peak shift suggesting neodymium oxide introduced structural changes was found with IR spectra and XPS. These seem to support the conclusion that the addition of increased amounts of Nd2O3 can lead to a more rigid glass structure.