Optical, mechanical and thermal properties in HfO2-doped TiO2-LaO3/2 glasses fabricated by aerodynamic levitation

•New TiO2-LaO3/2-HfO2 glass has been prepared by aerodynamic levitation method to research the effect of HfO2 on optical, thermal and mechanical properties.•Hafnium oxide can increase the refractive index nd up to 2.324.•Hafnium oxide has a higher melting point than lanthanum oxide, but its incorporation reduces glass transition temperature Tg and onset crystallization temperature Tx.•TiO2-LaO3/2-HfO2 glass performs strong mechanical properties with hardness of 9.058 Gpa.