Preparation of especially pure silver iodide as a component of materials for infrared optics

Alexander P. Velmuzhov; Elizaveta A. Tyurina; Maksim V. Sukhanov; Ilya I. Evdokimov; Aleksandra E. Kurganova

doi:10.17308/kcmf.2026.28/13637

Authors

Alexander P. Velmuzhov G. G. Devyatykh Institute of Chemistry of High-Purity Substances of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 49, Tropinin st., Nizhny Novgorod 603951, Russian Federation
Elizaveta A. Tyurina G. G. Devyatykh Institute of Chemistry of High-Purity Substances of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 49, Tropinin st., Nizhny Novgorod 603951, Russian Federation
Maksim V. Sukhanov G. G. Devyatykh Institute of Chemistry of High-Purity Substances of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 49, Tropinin st., Nizhny Novgorod 603951, Russian Federation
Ilya I. Evdokimov G. G. Devyatykh Institute of Chemistry of High-Purity Substances of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 49, Tropinin st., Nizhny Novgorod 603951, Russian Federation
Aleksandra E. Kurganova G. G. Devyatykh Institute of Chemistry of High-Purity Substances of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 49, Tropinin st., Nizhny Novgorod 603951, Russian Federation

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.17308/kcmf.2026.28/13637

Keywords:

Silver iodide, Synthesis, Distillation, Thermodynamic modeling, Telluride glasses

Abstract

Objectives: Silver iodide is an important component for optical materials transparent in the middle infrared range. Optical fibers based on polycrystalline AgBr-AgI, TlBr_0.46I0.₅₄-AgI, AgBr-AgI-TlI-TlBr systems and Ge-Te-AgI glasses can be used to fabricate fiber-optic sensors, CO₂-laser radiation delivery systems, and other mid-IR applications. The aim of this study was to develop a method for preparing especially pure silver iodide by reacting simple substances, combining the synthesis of this halide and vacuum loading it into a reactor containing a chalcogenide batch. A (GeTe_3.76)₅₀(AgI)₅₀ glass composition, which exhibits good stability against crystallization, was chosen as the glass to demonstrate the effectiveness of the developed method.

Experimental: The synthesis method involved passing iodine vapor, preliminarily purified by distillation-sublimation method, over metallic silver in an evacuated three-section silica-glass reactor and the subsequent distillation of AgI in a flow of iodine vapor. The chemical and impurity compositions of the prepared product were studied by inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry. The content of water impurity was determined by means of IR spectroscopy in the wavelength range of 2.7 μm.

Conclusions: The high efficiency of the developed method was demonstrated. Deviation of the chemical composition of silver iodide from the stoichiometric value did not exceed 0.5 at. %. The impurity content in the purest sample prepared by the developed method was: copper 7 ppm(wt.), other transition metals <(0.02–0.07) ppm(wt.); alkali metals 0.1–0.6 ppm(wt.), water 0.04 ppm(wt.). Using the developed synthesis method and vacuum loading of silver iodide, the glass of the (GeTe3.76)50(AgI)50 composition was prepared with an oxygen impurity content chemically bound to germanium at a level of no more than 0.01 ppm(wt.). This is 2 orders of magnitude lower than in the same glass prepared using silver iodide synthesized by traditional precipitation from an aqueous solution

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Author Biographies

Alexander P. Velmuzhov, G. G. Devyatykh Institute of Chemistry of High-Purity Substances of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 49, Tropinin st., Nizhny Novgorod 603951, Russian Federation

Cand. Sci. (Chem.), Senior Researcher, Laboratory of High-Purity Chalcogenide Glasses for Mid-IR Photonics, G. G. Devyatykh Institute of Chemistry of High-Purity Substances, Russian Academy of Sciences (Nizhny Novgorod, Russian Federation)
Elizaveta A. Tyurina, G. G. Devyatykh Institute of Chemistry of High-Purity Substances of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 49, Tropinin st., Nizhny Novgorod 603951, Russian Federation

Cand. Sci. (Chem.), Researcher, Laboratory of High-Purity Chalcogenide Glasses for Mid-IR Photonics, G. G. Devyatykh Institute of Chemistry of High-Purity Substances, Russian Academy of Sciences (Nizhny Novgorod, Russian Federation)
Maksim V. Sukhanov, G. G. Devyatykh Institute of Chemistry of High-Purity Substances of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 49, Tropinin st., Nizhny Novgorod 603951, Russian Federation

Cand. Sci. (Chem.), Senior Researcher, Laboratory of High-Purity Chalcogenide Glasses for Mid-IR Photonics, G. G. Devyatykh Institute of Chemistry of High-Purity Substances, Russian Academy of Sciences (Nizhny Novgorod, Russian Federation)
Ilya I. Evdokimov, G. G. Devyatykh Institute of Chemistry of High-Purity Substances of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 49, Tropinin st., Nizhny Novgorod 603951, Russian Federation

Cand. Sci. (Chem.), Senior Researcher, Laboratory of High-Purity Chalcogenide Glasses for Mid-IR Photonics, G. G. Devyatykh Institute of Chemistry of High-Purity Substances, Russian Academy of Sciences (Nizhny Novgorod, Russian Federation)
Aleksandra E. Kurganova, G. G. Devyatykh Institute of Chemistry of High-Purity Substances of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 49, Tropinin st., Nizhny Novgorod 603951, Russian Federation

Cand. Sci. (Chem.), Researcher, Laboratory of High-Purity Chalcogenide Glasses for Mid-IR Photonics, G. G. Devyatykh Institute of Chemistry of High-Purity Substances, Russian Academy of Sciences (Nizhny Novgorod, Russian Federation)

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