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RESEARCH PRODUCT

Vacuum-ultraviolet absorption of amorphousSiO2: Intrinsic contribution and role of silanol groups

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We present a study on the vacuum-ultraviolet (VUV) absorption properties of amorphous ${\text{SiO}}_{2}$ $(a{\text{-SiO}}_{2})$ with high concentrations of silanol groups (Si-OH). We found that the absorption spectra are made up of a couple of exponential profiles. The first, in the range from $\ensuremath{\sim}7.5$ to $\ensuremath{\sim}8.1\text{ }\text{eV}$, was attributed to Si-OH group absorption, while the second, in the range from $\ensuremath{\sim}8.1$ to $\ensuremath{\sim}8.25\text{ }\text{eV}$, was ascribed to the intrinsic absorption. The VUV absorption cross section of Si-OH groups in $a{\text{-SiO}}_{2}$ was determined as well. The intrinsic absorption was found to be affected by the Si-OH concentration: high silanol group contents allow lower values of the Urbach energy. This result is interpreted in terms of a reduction in the degree of disorder in wet materials.