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BULLETIN OF THE CHINESE CERAMIC SOCIETY ›› 2026, Vol. 45 ›› Issue (3): 974-993.DOI: 10.16552/j.cnki.issn1001-1625.2025.1145

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Mechanism of Glass Coloration and Its Application in Optical Elements

HUANG Yonggang1,2,3(), LI Guanlin1,2, SHI Pan1,4, JIAO Peng1, DU Yajie1, WANG Yun1, FU Yang1, CHU Miao1, ZHANG Yang1,5, JIA Jinsheng1,2,3   

  1. 1.Institute of Special Glass Fiber,China Building Materials Academy,Beijing 100024,China
    2.Key Laboratory of Special Optoelectronic Glass in Building Materials Industry,China Building Materials;Academy,Beijing 100024,China
    3.Glass-Based Functional Material Technology Innovation Center,China Building Materials Academy,Beijing 100024,China
    4.CNBM Guangxin Technology Co. ,Ltd. ,Zaozhuang 277101,China
    5.CNBM Photonics Technology Co. ,Ltd. ,Zaozhuang 277101,China
  • Received:2025-11-17 Revised:2025-12-25 Online:2026-03-20 Published:2026-04-10

Abstract:

Glass coloration arises from the interaction of light with a disordered network, governed by the multiscale coupling of composition, valence state, local structure, nanophases and defect states. On the basis of traditional empirical classifications, this review systematically summarizes the main coloration mechanisms, including ionic, molecular, colloids, color-center, as well as crystallization coloration. The glass basicity, redox conditions and microstructural features on absorption peak position and chromaticity is clarified. From the perspective of four types of external fields, such as optical field, thermal field, electrochemical field and high-energy radiation, the time dependence and reversibility of exposure photosensitive process electrochromic process, thermally induced nanocrystals and colloids, and radiation color-center evolution is discussed. Representative applications, such as surface blackening of lenses, preparation of absorbing layers in fiber image guides, and filter and selection of colored optical glass, are used to analyze engineering bottlenecks including chromatic uniformity, high-temperature radiation stability. Finally, we outline future directions for colored glass: integrating machine learning and big-data approaches for rapid inverse design of compositions and processing windows, promoting system diversification and strengthening cross-fertilization with metasurfaces and semiconductor quantum dots, so that colored glass can evolve from a simple color carrier to a multifunctional intelligent platform for optical modulation, display and sensing.

Key words: glass coloration, color-center, ion doping, colloid, electronic transition, radiation coloration

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