Effects of Gold Nanoparticles on the Fabrication of Red Colored High Refractive Index Lead Glass

Red colored gold ruby glass used for decorations in ancient times was actually gold nanotechnology at work by the addition of gold particles into molten lead glass. Most of high refractive index glasses are based on lead-bearing silicate glass. High refractive index lead glasses (HRLG) made from local sands and lead oxide were successfully fabricated both in laboratory and larger scales. In this study, gold metal was doped into the lead glass mixtures. Morphology of the prepared lead glass was observed using SEM and compared with that of the red colored Ancient Thai Glass (ATG). It was found that the fabricated red colored HRLG yielded similar color and clarity to the red colored ATG. From electron micrographs, the presence of gold in lead glass was in the form of nanoparticles. The optical properties of the glasses were also examined.