Effect of SnO addition on optical absorption of bismuth borate glass and photocatalytic property of the crystallized glass

We have found that an addition of SnO in a bismuth-borate glass, CaO- B2 O3 - Bi2 O3 - Al2 O3 -Ti O2, decreases the optical absorption coefficient in the visible region, in which selective crystallization of Ti O2 was observed after heat treatment. Since selective crystallization of Ti O2 was also attained in the SnO-containing glass, the transparency of Ti O2 crystallized glass can be improved independently of selective crystallization of Ti O2. We have also demonstrated that the rutile-nanocrystallized glass with SnO addition shows a higher photocatalytic activity than the glass without SnO, indicating that this crystallized glass has a large potential for application as transparent photocatalytic materials.