XRD, FTIR and ultrasonic investigations of cadmium lead bismuthate glasses

Cadmium lead bismuthate glasses in the system xCdO-(1-x)[0.5PbO + 0.5Bi₂O₃](40 mol% ≤ x ≤ 90 mol%) were successfully prepared by melt-quenching method. The structural and elastic properties have been investigated using XRD, FTIR and ultrasonic pulse-echo techniques. The XRD patterns confirmed the amorphous nature of the samples prepared. Density and ultrasonic velocity data were used to evaluate various elastic properties. Addition of CdO gave rise to decreased density and molar volume and increased elastic moduli, micro-hardness, and Debye temperature. The FTIR analysis revealed that increasing CdO content enhances the BiO₆ octahedral sites at the expense of the BiO₃ and PbO₄ units. This results in the formation of Pb-O-Bi(6) and Bi(3)-O-Bi(6) linkages in the glass network, which stiffen the structure and improve the elastic properties. A correlation between elastic and compositional parameters was achieved on the basis of theories and approaches in the field.