Pb(PO3)2-TeO2 glasses in the whole range of glass composition were first obtained and their properties (refractive index, density, Tg and light scattering losses) were determined. Based on the vibrational spectroscopy data a new approach was applied to investigate the interactions of initial oxides in melts resulted in so-called constant stoichiometry groupings (CSGs) formation symbolizing intermediate range order in glasses. Vibrational spectra of glasses are interpreted as a superposition of unchangeable spectral forms (principal spectral components (PSCs)) belonging to CSGs: PbO·P2O5, TeO2·2PbO·2P2O5, TeO2·PbO·P2O5, TeO2, and possibly 2TeO2·PbO·P2O5 and 6TeO2·PbO·P2O5. In this work Multivariate Data Analysis has been applied as the independent mathematical tool to decompose Raman spectra of glasses and reveal the number of PSCs. It is shown that application of factor analysis results in the same five PSCs that confirms our data obtained from the CSG concept. This concept allows also the prediction of the existence of unknown compounds, and correspondingly some crystals (TeO2⋅2PbO⋅2P2O5 and others) were revealed by XRPD of the crystallized glasses. The CSG concept opens the way for elaboration of low scattering glasses as candidates for Raman amplifiers. It is shown that Pb(PO3)2-TeO2 glasses with small content of TeO2 are of interest to photonic technology.

General features of inhomogeneous structure characteristic of inorganic glasses are analyzed on the base of results of combined application of light scattering spectroscopy and high temperature acoustic methods. In the framework of the model of "freezing" equilibrium thermodynamic fluctuations of melt the glass composition dependences of Landau-Placzek ratios taken from Rayleigh and Mandel'shtam-Brillouin scattering (RMBS) spectra and high temperature acoustics data for glass melts make it possible to estimate separately the relative role of "frozen-in" density and concentration fluctuations in the intensity of Rayleigh scattering (RS) by glasses. The obtained data opens the way to elaboration of glasses of the highest chemical and/or optical homogeneity for fiber and laser optics. It was found that Rayleigh scattering is sensitive to the selective entering of doped ions into concentration fluctuations of a glass host (the so-called dopant segregation phenomenon). Thus, RMBS data allows controlling the real dopant-dopant separations in glasses that are significant for the elaboration of laser glasses. Being carefully measured, the intensities of Raman scattering spectral bands can be used for the determination of concentrations and partial properties of constant stoichiometry groups (CSG) from which some binary glass forming systems are built. Comparison of RMBS and Raman scattering data leads to the conclusion that concentration fluctuations in some binary glass forming systems can be considered as fluctuations of CSGs. The result can be used for the elaboration of EO glasses with minimized RS losses.

Thermochromic laminated glazing (TLG) aids in reducing the energy needs of a building and providing indoor comfort. The polymeric interlayer of TLG is doped with transition metal (Fe, Cr, W, etc.) complexes, which change their coordination and the transmission or color of TLG under the influence of light and heat fluxes. At present we have conversions from light gray or brown to dark gray or brown and from rosy or yellow to blue or green at our disposal. TLG is able to sense changes in the light and adjust accordingly. It can block out the sunlight during the brightest parts of the day or capitalize on the available light during overcast days. As evaluated on the basis of tests, TLG has a good UV stability. It offers practical benefits of a low cost and easy fabrication. No electrical or any other driving power is needed to operate TLG. The energy modeling of the heat transfer in ventilated facades showed that TLG can provide a 15-30% decrease of the building energy consumption during the winter heating time in the climatic conditions of some regions in Russia. During the summer season the reduction of the solar energy gain reaches 30-40%; this is enough to give up air-cooling systems altogether.

Ground-based zenith sky Differential Optical Absorption Spectroscopy (DOAS) measurements performed by means of GASCOD instruments at Mt. Cimone (44N 11E), Italy and Stara Zagora (42N, 25E), Bulgaria are used for validation of SCIAMACHY NO2 vertical column density (vcd) of ESA SCI_NL product retrieved with 5.01 processor version. The results presented in this work regard satellite data for the July- December 2002 period. On this base it is concluded that during summer-autumn period the overall NO2 vcd above both stations is fairly well reproduced by the SCIAMACHY data, while towards the winter period they deviate from the seasonal behaviour of NO2 vcd derived at both stations.