Thermal and optical properties of (25-x)LaO3/2–25TiO2–25NbO5/2–25WO3–xZrO2 glasses with high refractive indices prepared by aerodynamic levitation method

With the concept of aerodynamic levitation technology, we had successfully prepared the high-entropy amorphous oxides with the composition of (25-x)LaO3/2–25TiO2–25NbO5/2–25WO3–xZrO2 using containerless equipment. The glass formation range was found to be 0 ≤ x ≤ 10. Besides, the advantage of this method is that by suppressing inhomogeneous nucleation from the container wall, molten materials can easier reach a deep undercooling degree. The effects of ZrO2 substitution on the optical, and thermal properties of 25LaO3/2–25TiO2–25NbO5/2–25WO3 glasses were evaluated. Based on temperature gap and critical cooling rate, sample 25LaO3/2–25TiO2–25NbO5/2–25WO3 has the best amorphous forming ability with temperature gap is 65 °C and critical cooling rate is 11.5 °C/s. In the visible region, all refractive indices are over 2.15 and the Abbe number of 25LaO3/2–25TiO2–25NbO5/2–25WO3 is the highest, up to 23.6. In a wide window ranging from 0.375 to 7.5 μm, they also exhibit high transmittances. The excellent mechanical properties are presumed to be due to the complex interactions between atoms caused by high-entropy. In terms of application, the glasses are potentially applicable to lenses, next-generation optical disks, and endoscopes.