Germanium Oxide Nanoparticles

Germanium Oxide Nanoparticles

Germanium oxide differs from silicon oxide and which makes it more attractive for application. Germanium oxide undergoes pressure-induced structural transformations much earlier than silicates. GeO2 has a higher linear coefficient of thermal expansion than SiO2 and has important applications in vacuum technology. The refractive index in the visible range for amorphous GeO2 was reported between 1.63 and 1.58, which is higher than for silicon oxide. This makes germanium oxide useful for graded index low loss optical fibers.GeO2 is widely used in manufacturing of optical lenses and night-vision instrumentation. Usage of GeO2 as an additive to quartz glasses has attracted the attention of many scientists for a long time. From the literature it is known that germanium oxides, in contrast to silicates, have rather poor stability and stoichiometry. It is very difficult to produce pure GeO2 or GeO.The mixture of these oxides or so-called sub oxides (GeOx) with different oxygen content can be produced by most flame processes. Such sub oxides make germanium oxides interesting for optical applications. It was, e.g., reported that the light absorbency of germanium sub oxides depends on the oxygen content. Germanium IV oxide has been found to be useful in medical applications. It was shown that GeO2 blocks cell progression without being a genotoxic material.