Nanodiamond-induced UV transparency in phosphate glasses and development of plasmonic Cu nanocomposites

Nanodiamond (ND) powder has been explored as a means for improving the ultraviolet (UV) transparency of phosphate glasses of interest to high-performance optics. Binary barium phosphate (BaO:P2O5) glasses were prepared by melting wherein increasing amounts of ND powder were added to batch materials up to 0.1 wt%. Besides a detailed UV/Vis optical analysis, structural characterizations were performed by X-ray diffraction, Raman scattering and 31P nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopies. The data was consistent with a structural modification suggesting P–O–C bond formation accompanying the ND-induced UV transparency. Further, the reductant character of diamond was exploited for reducing CuO in the glass matrix and ultimately produce plasmonic Cu nanocomposites upon thermal treatment.