Use of FTIR reflectance spectroscopy to monitor corrosion mechanisms on glass surfaces

Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) reflectance spectroscopy was used to monitor corrosion mechanisms on the surface of lithium disilicate (Li₂O-2SiO₂) glass samples exposed to an aqueous solution for short times. The traditional mechanisms of glass corrosion were observed but a spectral feature was resolved that was previously unreported. This feature consisted of a peak suspected to result partially from a silanol (Si-OH) vibration in the region 800-1050 cm⁻¹ that shifted and reappeared in a cyclic fashion throughout the corrosion process. The behavior of this peak tends to suggest that the creation and condensation of Si-OH groups is the reaction responsible for causing the shift of the main Si-O-Si and Si-O⁻ peaks, a phenomenon which has previously lacked a detailed explanation.