Effect of quenching treatment on photochromic properties of Mg2+doped Na1/2Bi1/2TiO3 ceramics

This study investigates the photochromic (PC) properties of Na1/2Bi1/2TiO3 (NBT)-based ceramics. Through doping Mg2+ (x = 0.01, 0.02, 0.03, and 0.04) and quenching treatment, a large number of oxygen vacancies are introduced into the ceramic matrix, thereby improving its PC efficiency. Specifically, an appropriate amount of Mg2+ doping could significantly improve the PC contrast (Delta R) of NBT-based ceramics. When x = 0.03, Delta R reaches 26.9% at 500 nm and then further increases to 40.4% after quenching. Furthermore, the effects of grain size, the second phase, and the band gap on the photochromism behavior are also discussed. These factors offer a new way to improve PC performance.