XRD and FTIR structural investigation of gadolinium-zinc-borate glass ceramics

X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy measurements have been employed to investigate the (Gd₂O₃)_x⋅(B₂O₃)_(60-x)⋅(ZnO)₄₀ glass ceramics system, with 0 ≤ x ≤ 15 mol%. After heat treatment applied at 860 °C for 2 h, some structural changes were observed and new crystalline phases appeared in the structure of the samples. In these glass ceramics four crystalline phases were identified using powder diffraction files (PDF 2), namely ZnB₄O₇, Zn₄O(B₆O₁₂), Zn₃(BO₃)₂ and GdBO₃. From the XRD data, the average unit-cell parameter and the quantitative ratio of the crystallographic phases in the studied samples were evaluated. FTIR data revealed that the BO₃, BO₄ and ZnO₄ are the main structural units of these glass ceramics network. The compositional dependence of the different structural units which appear in the studied samples was followed.