The development of SiO2 resistant Cr-doped glass ceramics for high Cr4+ emission

The influence of SiO₂ inter-diffusion into Cr-doped CaO–Al₂O₃ glass, Ca₂GeO₄, and Mg₂SiO₄ glass ceramics at high temperature is so severe that almost none of Cr⁴⁺ emission can remain. Although the Cr⁴⁺ emission can be recovered up to 13% from its pristine value after re-heat treatment in the initial composition of Mg₂SiO₄ glass ceramics, the new composition based upon SiO₂ pre-deficiency technique proposed in this paper can retrieve up to about 4 times better, which indicates much less vulnerability to SiO₂ incorporation. Further improvement is possible with finer composition optimization. The results indicate the potential of pre-deficiency technique for making high Cr⁴⁺ emission in silica-based optical fibers under the fact that the Cr⁴⁺ emission is seriously degraded upon SiO₂ incorporation.     

Effects of yttrium codoping on fluorescence lifetimes of Er3+ ions in SiO2–Al2O3 sol–gel glasses

In order to find a new glass host and optimize erbium doping for IR glass optical amplifiers in photonic applications, a study on the optimization of the emission of erbium ions in the SiO₂–Al₂O₃ glass by codoping with Y₂O₃ is performed. It is first attempted to make a new sol–gel glass host based on SiO₂, Al₂O₃, and Y₂O₃ doped with Er³⁺ ions of the composition (1−x)SiO₂–xAl₂O₃–yY₂O₃:0.65Er₂O₃ (in mol%), x varies from 0 to 65, and y from 0 to 4. The optimal proportion in mol% of SiO₂ and Al₂O₃ for the Er³⁺ emission (at a fixed optimal concentration of 0.65) was 65 – 35. The effect of Y₂O₃ content on photoluminescence, decay curve profiles and lifetime of the ⁴I_13/2 level of Er³⁺ in SiO₂–Al₂O₃ glass is observed. The largest quantum efficiency and the higher emission intensity are observed in the sample with 65Al₂O₃ and 4Y₂O₃. The emission intensity at 1530 nm is two times higher than in glasses without Y₂O₃. A shift of 3 nm to shorter wavelengths is observed. The emission spectral profiles are flatter and broader for the glasses containing Al and Y (bandwidth of 59.5 nm). The decay curves show strong difference profiles for the different samples. The increase of the lifetime value τ (about ms) of the ⁴I_13/2 level of Er³⁺ in the SiO₂–Al₂O₃ with the Y₂O₃ is discussed.     

Effects of addition of nitrogen on bioglass properties and structure

Bioglasses have been developed for use in surgery because of their ability to form a hydroxy-carbonate apatite (HCA) layer on their surface which facilitates bonding to natural bone. However, they do not have sufficient strength for use in load-bearing situations and therefore improving their mechanical properties would allow their use in more robust applications. The purpose of this work was to study the effects of nitrogen addition on the physical and mechanical properties and the structure of oxynitride bioglasses based on the system Na₂O–CaO–SiO₂–Si₃N₄. The density, glass transition temperature, hardness and elastic modulus were measured and observed to increase linearly with nitrogen content. These increases are consistent with the incorporation of N into the glass structure in three-fold coordination with silicon which results in extra cross-linking of the glass network. The characterization of these oxynitride bioglasses using solid state nuclear magnetic resonance ²⁹Si MAS NMR and infrared spectroscopy have shown firstly that all the N atoms are bonded to Si atoms and secondly that this increase in rigidity of the glass network can be explained by the formation of SiO₃N, SiO₂N₂ tetrahedra and Q⁴ units with extra bridging anions at the expense of Q³ units. The oxynitride bioglasses in simulated body fluid form a hydroxy-carbonate apatite (HCA) layer on their surfaces showing that bioactivity is retained.     

The effect of PbF2 content on the microstructure and upconversion luminescence of Er-doped SiO2-PbF2-PbO glass ceramics

The Er³⁺ doped transparent oxyfluoride glass ceramics were obtained by appropriate heat treatment of the precursor glasses with composition (mol%) 50SiO₂-xPbF₂-(50 − x)PbO-0.5ErF₃. The microstructure and optical properties of the glasses and glass ceramics were determined by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), X-ray diffraction (XRD), absorption spectra and luminescence spectra. The intensity of upconversion luminescence significantly increased in glass ceramics compared to that in precursor glass. The emission bands centered around 660 nm (⁴F_9/2 → ⁴I_15/2) and 410 nm (²H_9/2 → ⁴I_15/2) were simultaneously observed in glass ceramics but cannot be seen in the corresponding precursor glass. The influence of different PbF₂ content on the microstructure and upconversion luminescence of the samples was analyzed in detail. The results indicated that with the increase of PbF₂ content, the Ω₂ was almost the same and the ratios of red to green upconversion luminescence decreased in glass ceramics.     

Spinel ferrite-silica glass obtained by splat quenching

The compositions (in mol%) 40 MnFe₂O₄, 60 SiO₂, and 42.8 CoFe₂O₄, 57.1 SiO₂ have been melted and splat-quenched. The resulting materials have been analyzed using X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, scanning transmission electron microscopy, and room temperature Mössbauer spectroscopy.The quenched Mn-containing material was completely amorphous. Its Mössbauer spectrum contains two doublets, indicating Fe²⁺ and Fe³⁺ in distorted octahedral sites.The quenched Co-containing composition contained (Co, Fe)₂SiO₄ (olivine and (Co, Fe)₂O₄ (spinel) precipitates, 150–400 Å in diameter, in a glassy matrix. The Mössbauer spectrum contains three doublets, indicating octahedral Fe²⁺ in the olivine, distorted octahedral Fe²⁺ in the glass, and distorted octahedral Fe³⁺ in the glass. The spectrum also shows trace hyperfine splitting, attributed to the spinel ferrite.     

Synthesis of powellite-rich glasses for high level waste immobilization

Increasing amounts of MoO₃ were added to SiO₂-B₂O₃-Na₂O-CaO-Al₂O₃ glasses in order to trap molybdenum as powellite (nominally CaMoO₄). Different heat treatments were performed to study their influences on powellite crystallization by X-ray diffraction and EPR. The glass compositions studied in this work lead to glass-ceramics rich in CaMoO₄, up to [MoO₃] = 5 mol% no poorly durable Na₂MoO₄ phase was identified by XRD. Trivalent actinides surrogates (Gd³⁺) were observed to incorporate into CaMoO₄ crystals.     

A square-wave voltammetric study on the diffusivities of polyvalent elements in CaO/BaO/Al2O3/SiO2 glass melts

Diffusion coefficients of various polyvalent ions (Sn²⁺, As³⁺, As⁵⁺, Sb³⁺, Sb⁵⁺, Cr³⁺, Ti⁴⁺, V⁴⁺, V⁵⁺ and Fe³⁺) were measured in melts with the basic compositions of 10CaO·10 BaO·10Al₂O₃·70SiO₂ and 10CaO·10BaO·15Al₂O₃·65SiO₂ by means of square-wave voltammetry. At temperatures in the range of 1300-1600 °C, linear correlations between logD and 1/T were observed. At 1400 °C, the diffusion coefficients obtained are compared with those obtained from other glass melt compositions.     

Determination of silicate anion constitution in glassy and crystalline lead silicates using an improved TMS technique

Using the DMF trimethylsilylation technique developed by Tamás, Sarkar and Roy, the distribution of silicate anions in lead silicate glasses of the composition range PbO·SiO₂4PbO· SiO₂ has been reinvestigated. The obtained results agree with earlier findings except for the tetrameric chain anion [SiO₄O₁₃]^10?, which had not been found before. Crystallization of glassy PbO·SiO₂ proceeds via the formation of low-molecular silicate anions [Si₂O₇]^6?, [Si₄O₁₃]_(II)^10? and [Si₇O₂₂]^16?, which characterize the low-temperature crystalline polymorph TPbO·SiO₂. Further heat treatment turns TPbO·SiO₂ into alamosite, characterized by polysilicate chain anions [SiO₃^2?]_∞.     

High resolution 29Si NMR study of the structure and devitrification of lead-silicate glasses

High speed magic-angle rotation of glass samples in the strong polarizing field of a superconducting magnet yields high-resolution ²⁹Si NMR spectra. Using this technique glasses of various composition, PbO·SiO₂, (PbO)₂·SiO₂, and (PbO)₄·SiO₂ were studied and the influence of thermal treatment followed. Crystallization of PbO·SiO₂ glass has been found to be a complex process leading to a structure identical with that of the mineral alamosite. The ²⁹Si NMR spectrum of crystalline alamosite consists of three lines in agreement with the structure determined by X-ray diffraction.     

Investigation of the structure evolution process in sol-gel derived CaO-B2O3-SiO2 glass ceramics

A sol-gel method was used to prepare CaO-B₂O₃-SiO₂ (CBS) glass powder for making low-temperature cofired ceramics. This paper was focused on the mechanism of hydrolysis and polymerization and also on the structural evolution of xerogel at various temperatures. The xerogel was transformed into glass ceramics containing CaSiO₃ and CaB₂O₄ crystalline phases through nucleation and crystallization processes. The results indicated that the xerogel exhibits [BO₄] or [SiO₄] based three-dimensional network structure whose interstices Ca ions fill in, which becomes more orderly and stable after heat treatments. The CBS glass ceramics through controlled crystallization have a potential as electronic packaging materials.     

Silica polymorphs,glass and melt: An in situ high temperature XAS study at the Si K-edge

High temperature X-ray absorption spectra at the Si K-edge were obtained for SiO₂ quartz from room temperature up to 2030 K. Important modifications are observed for the XANES spectra. These change are related to rearrangements of the SiO₄ tetrahedra beyond the short-range correlations. To interpret these spectral evolutions, SiO₂ polymorph samples were observed at room temperature and XANES calculations using FDMNES were performed. Very strong differences are shown between the different polymorphs even between α and β phases for which only small displacive angle rotations of the SiO₄ tetrahadra occurs. Therefore the quartz α to β transition could be identified at its expected temperature, 842 K. A badly defined transition toward β-cristobalite is observed between 1670 and 1940 K. The dynamics of this totally reconstructive transition was further investigated on heat treated cherts. Finally the liquid is reached around 2000 K. Many similarities were observed on SiO₂ between its glass at room temperature, β-cristobalite and liquid at high temperature.     

X-ray diffraction analysis on the structure of the glasses in the system PbOSiO2

The structures of PbO·SiO₂ and 2PbO·SiO₂ glasses have been analyzed by use of X-ray diffraction data and pair function method. For PbO·SiO₂ glass, a model consisting of chains of PbO₃ pyramids and silicate chains showed good agreement with the observed RDF. For 2PbO·SiO₂ glass, the present authors reported previously a model in which chains of PbO₃ pyramids are connected with SiO₄ tetrahedra, while the chromatographic analyses of silicate anions by Götz et al. and Smart et al. showed that silicate anions are distributed from monomer to polymer in the glass. We reexamined the structure of this glass referring to these results. Three representative models containing isolated SiO₄, Si₄O₁₂ rings and (SiO₃)_n chains respectively as well as PbO₃ chains were constructed and the RDFs were calculated with changing structure parameters. These three models showed satisfactory agreement with the observed data, showing that silicate anions are distributed from monomer to polymer in 2PbO·SiO₂ glass and an increase of SiO₂ content leads to polymerization of silicate anions to longer chains up to PbO·SiO₂ composition, while the chains of PbO₃ pyramids remain unchanged.     

Chemical durability of Na2OCaOSiO2 glasses in acid solutions

The resistance of Na₂OCaOSiO₂ glasses to acid solutions has been studied. The compositions studied were Na₂O · 4SiO₂, Na₂O · x CaO · (4?x) SiO₂ and a common electrode glass containing 22.63Na₂O and 5.58 CaO, mol%. The reaction was made at 40°C for about 3 h in 1N solutions of HCl, HNO₃ and H₂SO₄. Powdered glass samples were used and the reaction was followed by analyzing the solution for soda, lime and silica.The extraction rates of each constituent were measured. The effect of acid concentration was also studied for each glass using 10^?3–10N solutions of the three acids for a fixed time. The quantity of calcium extracted increased slowly at first with increasing calcium content in the glass, but rapidly when the lime content exceeded ≈10 mol%. Above this concentration, both calcium and sodium appears to pass into solution in the same proportion in which they are present in the glass. The extraction rate was found to depend on the type and concentration of the acid used, being least in H₂SO₄ and much higher and almost equal in both HCl and HNO₃.An attempt was made to correlate the results of decomposition of the soda-lime-silica glasses to their membrane potentials in acidic solutions.     

Viscosity of germanium sulfide melts

Viscosities of Ge_xS_1−x melts (0.30⩽x⩽0.44) have been measured by penetration viscometry from 10⁷ to 10¹³ Pa s. The temperature dependence of equilibrium viscosities in this range can be expressed approximately by a simple Arrhenius equation. Both the heat capacity change at the glass transition and the activation energy of viscous flow monotonously increase with germanium content as predicted by the Adam–Gibbs theory. Therefore, the connectivity of the germanium–sulfur network is reduced due to decreasing concentration of sulfur which causes increasing fragility of the undercooled liquid. The glass transition temperature exhibits a maximum near the GeS₂ composition where heteropolar bonds are predominantly formed.     

On a qualitative model for the incorporation of fluoride nano-crystals within an oxide glass network in oxy-fluoride glass-ceramics

We report on a Raman scattering study of oxy-fluoride glass-ceramics with a typical composition 32SiO₂:9AlO_1.5:31.5CdF₂:18.5PbF₂:5.5ZnF₂:3.5ErF₃ (in mol%), which indicates a narrow size distribution of β-PbF₂ fluoride nano-crystals, typically of 13 ± 1 nm, in the silica-based glass network and gives insight on how then nano-crystals are incorporated into the glassy network. The Raman spectra indicate the presence of Q⁰, Q¹ and Q²-like units, which are SiO_xF_4−x tetrahedra with zero, one and two bridging oxygens, respectively. The frequency, width and depolarization ratio of Raman bands corresponding to these Qⁿ-like units (n=0, 1, 2) indicate that Q⁰ units are mostly symmetric SiO₄ tetrahedra, Q¹ are SiO₄ tetrahedra where one F may substitute for O and Q² are SiO₄ tetrahedra where one or two F may substitute for O. We argue that the non-bridging O atoms belonging to Qⁿ tetrahedra, mostly to Q⁰ tetrahedra, are located near the interface between the nano-crystalline and glassy phases, allowing an easy accommodation of fluoride nano-crystals with a spherical shape, in the oxide glass network. This was in agreement with the very low-frequency Raman features found between ∼4 and 8 cm⁻¹, due to acoustic vibrations of the nano-crystals embedded in the glassy matrix.     

Development of optical nonlinearity, high dielectric constant and ferromagnetic behavior in a silicate glass nanocomposite by suitable heat treatment

We have explored the development of multifunctionalities viz, optical nonlinearity, high dielectric constant and ferromagnetic behavior in a nanostructured silica based glass of 14.0Na₂O, 26.0BaO, 26.0TiO₂, 16.0B₂O₃, 17.0SiO₂, 1.0NiO (mol%) composition. A heat treatment at 863 K for 4 h led to nonlinear refractive index and absorption coefficients at wavelength 800 nm of 0.11 × 10⁻¹⁹ m²/W and 1.15 × 10⁻³ cm/GW, respectively. A heat treatment at 1073 K for 2 h followed by 1113 K for 3 h increased the dielectric constant from 11 to 50, apparently due to the formation of nanocrystals of BaTiO₃ within the glass medium. Glass samples reduced at 923 K for 1 h exhibited ferromagnetic behavior due to the presence of nickel nanoparticles.     

Compositional dependence of ultraviolet fluorescence intensity of Ce in silicate, borate, and phosphate glasses

Fluorescence spectra of Ce³⁺ ions in silicate, borate, and phosphate glasses melted in Ar were measured. The relative fluorescence intensity of Ce³⁺ in the ultraviolet region increased in the order of R = Ba, Ca, Sr, and Mg in the 20Li₂O-20RO-60SiO₂ glass samples and with decreasing BaO content in the BaO-B₂O₃ glass samples, respectively. In contrast, the relative fluorescence intensity of Ce³⁺ did not change with varying the glass composition in phosphate glass samples. The compositional dependence of the relative fluorescence intensity of Ce³⁺ is discussed in terms of redox reaction of Ce³⁺-Ce⁴⁺ in oxide glasses.     

Structural organisation in oxide glasses from molecular dynamics modelling

Classical molecular dynamics modelling has been used to obtain new models of 50CaO·50P₂O₅ and 50MgO·50SiO₂ glasses and, together with previously published models of 63CaO·37Al₂O₃, and 50CaO·50SiO₂ glasses, these have been inspected to evaluate structural features. For the first time, models of glasses near the eutectic in three systems, aluminate, silicate, and phosphate, with the same modifier, Ca, have been compared. All have short range order which is similar to that in crystals of the same composition, 5CaO·3Al₂O₃, CaSiO₃ and Ca(PO₃)₂. There is a clear trend in bonding of bridging oxygen to Ca, which is dominant in aluminate glass, common in silicate glass, and absent in phosphate glass. Preliminary results for 50MgO·50SiO₂ glass show unusual behaviour because ~ 5% of oxygen is present as “non-network” oxygen, i.e. bonded only to Mg. The models show broader Qⁿ distributions than seen in NMR experiments, and this remains an area for improvement of MD modelling of glasses. The distributions of Ca in the models have been studied using the pair distribution function T_CaCa(r) which is found to be similar in the three glasses, and also similar to the previous experimental measurement for 50CaO·50SiO₂ glass. The distributions of Ca are markedly different in the glasses compared to the crystals, being isotropic in the former and anisotropic in the latter, which should be a factor in glass forming ability.     

Bi precipitates in Na2O–B2O3 glasses

Bi particles of different sizes were produced in Na₂O–B₂O₃ glasses by melt quenching and heat treatment technique. Melting temperature of Bi particles was measured by differential scanning calorimetry and X-ray diffraction. Measured melting temperatures of Bi particles are lower than bulk Bi melting temperature. Results of transmission electron microscopy were analyzed for the dependence of melting temperature on particle radius. The pressure and surface energy effect on melting temperature is estimated. The melting behavior of Bi particles in Na₂O–B₂O₃ glasses depends on the difference in the interfacial energies between the solid particle/glass and liquid particle/glass, and liquid particle/glass, σ_sm−σ_lm, which is estimated to be 255×10⁻³ J m⁻².     

Viscosity of liquid albite,a network material

The viscosity of liquid albite (NaAlSi₃O₈) has been determined over the temperature range 800–1000°C. The results are combined with data obtained at higher temperatures to obtain the overall log η versus $\text{1}\text{T}$ relation. The relation indicates Arrhenian behavior, with an apparent activation energy of ～95 kcal mol^?1. By comparing the viscous flow behavior of albite with that of the other materials, including SiO₂, GeO₂ and B₂O₃, it is suggested that liquid albite is a random network of SiO₄ and AlO₄ tetrahedra.