Glass formation and structure of glasses in B2O3―Bi2O3―MoO3 system

The purpose of this paper is to study the glass formation tendency in the ternary system B₂O₃―Bi₂O₃―MoO₃ and to define the main structural units building the amorphous network. A wide glass formation area was determined which is situated near the Bi₂O₃―B₂O₃ side. A liquid phase separation region was observed near the MoO₃―B₂O₃ side for compositions containing below 25 mol% Bi₂O₃ and their microheterogeneous structure was observed by SEM. The phase formation was characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD). By DTA was established the glass transition temperature (T_g) in the range of 380-420 °C and crystallization temperature (T_x) vary between 420 and 540 °C. The main building units forming the amorphous network are BO₃ (1270 and 1200 cm^− 1), BO₄ (930-880, 1050-1040 cm^− 1), MoO₄ (840-760 cm^− 1) and BiO₆ (470 cm^− 1). It was proved that Bi₂O₃ favors the BO₃ → BO₄ transformations while MoO₃ preserves BO₃ units in the amorphous network.     

Glass formation and structure of Na2SSiO2 and Na2SB2O3 glasses

Glass-forming regions of the systems Na₂SSiO₂ and Na₂SB₂O₃ have been investigated in order to clarify whether Na₂S could be substituted for Na₂O in sodium silicate or borate glasses, and the results were interpreted in terms of the structures of silicate and borate glasses. No difference was found in the glass-forming range of SiO₂ content between the Na₂SSiO₂ and Na₂OSiO₂ systems, and the red color of Na₂SSiO₂ glasses suggests that the formation of polysulfides in the glass structure is probably due to the entrance of sulfur ions in the non-bridging sites of the glass network. On the other hand, not all of the sulfur added to the glass batches could be retained in the Na₂SB₂O₃ glasses and the amount remaining in the glass products changed depending upon the amount of sodium ions in the glasses. Only a trace of sulfur was observed in the glasses containing less than 13 mol% of Na₂S in the batches, but the sulfur content in the glasses increased steeply with sodium content up to 35 mol%, reached the maximum and then decreased slowly with sodium content. The insolubility of sulfur in the glasses with low sodium content was interpreted based on the compositional dependence of basicity of alkali-borate glasses, and the change in solubility of sulfur with sodium concentration was explained based on the well-known boron anomaly caused by the change in the coordination state of boron and on the formation of non-bridging oxygens or sulfurs in the glass structure.     

Infrared spectra and structure of superionic conducting glasses in the system AgIAg2OMoO3

Thin blown films of glasses with the mole ratio Ag₂O/MoO₃ = 1 in the system AgIAg₂OMoO₃ (or the pseudobinary system AgIAg₂MoO₄) show three absorption bands in the range 4000-200 cm^?1; 875 cm^?1 (w), 780 cm^?1 (s), and 320 cm^?1 (m, b), which are characteristic of tetrahedral MoO₄^2? ions. The glasses with the ratio Ag₂O/MoO₃ < 1 have two additional bands at 600 cm^?1 (w) and 450 cm^?1 (vw), which are characteristic of condensed ions of MoO₄ tetrahedra, probably Mo₂ O₇^2? ions. These glasses are thus composed of Ag⁺, I^?, MoO₄^2?, and probably Mo₂O₇^2? ions, and classified as “ionic” glasses containing one type of cations. The presence of partial covalency in the Ag⁺… ^?OMo link and the influence of ion exchange of Ag⁺ with K⁺ on IR spectra are discussed. The molar volume of the glasses with the ratio Ag₂O/MoO₃ = 1 is primarily determined by a fairly dense packing of the constituent anions, I^? and MoO₄^2?.     

Surface kinetics of nitrogen dissolution and its correlation to the slag structure in the CaO―SiO2, CaO―Al2O3, and CaO―SiO2―Al2O3 slag system

The kinetics of nitrogen dissolution into molten slag at 1873 K was investigated by an isotope exchange technique. Rate constants were correlated with the molten slag structure obtained from FT-IR spectra. The rate constant in the CaO―SiO₂ binary system showed a maximum value at a specific slag composition followed by a decrease in the rate due to excess O²⁻ blocking the surface sites for nitrogen adsorption. The rate constant in the CaO―Al₂O₃ binary system was comparatively constant within the experimental range of 45 mass% to 60 mass%. The rate constant in the CaO―SiO₂―Al₂O₃ ternary slag system was measured within the boundary of the liquidus line and showed a close correlation with the slag structure. Furthermore, the rate constant in the CaO―SiO₂―Al₂O₃ ternary system was found to be significantly higher compared to the binary system due to the correlated effect of lower binding energies of the Al―O bonds and the increased number of reaction sites available when smaller Si―O tetrahedral were simultaneously present with Al―O bonds.     

Nuclear magnetic resonance studies of the glasses in the system Na2OB2O3SiO2

The ¹¹B NMR spectra have been used to study the structure of glasses in the system Na₂OB₂O₃SiO₂. The fraction of BO₄ units, and the fraction of BO₃ units with one or two nonbridging oxygens, are measured and analyzed according to a structural model. The results indicate that: (1) for a sodium oxide to boron oxide ratio of 0.5 or less, the Na⁺¹ ions are attracted primarily by the borate network; therefore, the ternary glasses can be viewed as binary sodium borate glasses diluted by SiO₂; (2) when the sodium oxide to boron oxide ratio exceeds 0.5, the additional Na₂O results in the formation of [BSi₄O₁₀]^?1 units at the expense of diborate and SiO₄ units. In this process, Na⁺¹ ions are still taken up only by the borate network. After all the available SiO₄ units are consumed to form [BSi₄O₁₀]^?1 units, additional Na⁺¹ ions are proportionally shared between the borate and silicate networks.     

Photoconductivity of oxychalcogenide glasses in the system As2Se3CdO

The photoconductivity of oxychalcogenide glasses in the system As₂Se₃CdO was investigated. When 2–3 mol % CdO was added, the photoresponse peak of the parent glass As₂Se₃ in the vicinity of 740 nm became broader and a little weaker. The addition of more than about 4 mol % CdO brought about a sharp and strong peak at 720 nm and a broad peak at 860 nm. X-ray diffraction and electron microscopic observations revealed the presence of crystalline CdSe in the glass matrix, indicating that the reaction As₂Se₃ + 3CdO → As₂O₃ + 3CdSe took place in the melting process of these glasses. Tempeature and light intensity dependences of the photocurrent lead to the conclusion that the above spectral photoresponse is greatly affected by the presence of the dispersed crystalline CdSe.     

Brillouin scattering measurements of attenuation and velocity of hypersounds in SiO2B2O3 glasses

Measurements of hypersound wave velocity and attenuation (20–30 GHz) were made at room temperature by Brillouin scattering in SiO₂O₂O₃ glasses. The attenuation shows a maximum with composition. An explanation of this maximum is given in relation to the glass structure. It is thought that this maximum may be due to a coupling effect of hypersounds with structural relaxational process involving SiSi and SiOB bonds.     

Mössbauer study in the glass system PbO · 2B2O3 · Fe2O3

The Mössbauer technique has been employed to study the structure and crystallite formation in the glass system PbO · 2B₂O₃ containing upto 30 wt% Fe₂O₃. Like alkali borate glasses, this glass system also exhibits a broadened quadrupole doublet and iron ions are present in Fe³⁺ state. Above about 20 wt%, the crystallites of magnetically ordered states have been identified. Susceptibility variation with concentration suggests the formation of a superparamagnetic state.     

11B and 27Al NMR studies of glasses in the system Na2OB2O3Al2O3 (“NABAL”)

¹¹B and ²⁷Al nuclear magnetic resonances (NMR) in glasses of the NABAL system Na₂OB₂O₃Al₂O₃ have been studied as a function of composition. From the boron data, the fraction of four-coordinated BO₄ units has been determined via computer analysis of the NMR spectra; the method is similar to that employed previously for binary and other ternary borate glasses. The ²⁷Al NMR indicates no abrupt change in the average aluminum environment. Certain linear relationships have been found which yield detailed information on the competing processes of BO₃, BO₄ and AlO₄ formation, and the formation of triclusters consisting of three tetrahedra having one oxygen in common. Furthermore, it is concluded that the oxygen available for the formation of various aluminum-containing species is a function of the soda concentration only and that the conversion to AlO₄ is favored as compared with BO₄.     

EPR study of crystalline and vitreous forms of the Li2OAl2O3SiO2 system

The epr spectra of V⁴⁺ and radiation centres have been studied in β-eucryptite (LiAlSiO₄), β-, γ-spodumene (LiAlSi₂O₆) and in glasses prepared by the fusion of the single crystals. It is shown that the electronic structures of the vitreous state in the Li₂OAl₂O₃SiO₂ system and that of the crystalline forms differ considerably. The change of the electronic structure on crystallization is not direct, but is realized through the intermediate state whose electronic structure differs from that of glasses and crystals.     

Glass formation in the systems (K or Cs)2O(Nb or Ta)2O5Al2O3

The glass-forming ability of melts in the systems K₂O(Nb and/or Ta)₂O₅Al₂O₃ as well as those in which K₂O was replaced with Li₂O, Na₂O, Cs₂O, BaO or PbO was investigated. Some melts in the systems (K or Cs)₂O(Nb and/or Ta)₂O₅Al₂O₃ could be made into glasses by cooling, yielding practically useful amounts. The structures of these glasses were discussed on the basis of their infrared spectroscopic and X-ray emission spectroscopic analyses.     

Small polaron conduction in V2O5P2O5 glasses

Dc conductivity measurements have been made between 90 and 520 K on three bulk samples of V₂O₅P₂O₅ glass. Heat treatment is found to result in a reduction of the activation energy at a given temperature and this is most noticeable at low temperatures. The behaviour at low temperatures can be described using Mott's variable range hopping arguments, and at high temperatures by non-adiabatic small polaron hopping between nearest neighbours. At intermediate temperatures a simple model is used in which excitations by optical and acoustic phonons are considered to make independent contributions to the jump frequency. Mott's theory is extended to the polaron case for $\text{T>}\text{1}\text{4}\text{?}$ and is shown to be in good agreement with results. Values for $\text{r}{}_{\mathrm{<mtext>p</mtext>}}\text{(～2.8}\text{A}\text{?}\text{)}$ the polaron radius and $\text{α(～3.5}\text{A}\text{?}{}^{\mathrm{?1}}\text{)}$ the electron decay constant are shown to be consistent with the model for small polarons. A method is suggested for obtaining α and N(E_F) from the ac conductivity and the slope of 1nσ versus $\text{1}\text{T}{}^{\mathrm{<mtext>1</mtext><mtext>4</mtext>}}$ at low temperatures. Values of N(E) are obtained which correlate with those obtained by the previous analysis. This implies that the disorder energy separating adjacent sites Δ₀ is large (～0.4 eV) in these materials.     

The effect of different alkali ions on the optical and magnetic properties of R2O−B2O3 + MnO2 glasses

Spectrophotometric, magnetic studies and chemical analyses of a number of binary alkali borate glasses containing manganese were carried out in order to throw some light on the structure of these glasses and on the forms in which manganese exists in borate glasses.The results obtained could be explained on the basis that manganese exists in glasses in two different states; divalent manganese coordinated with tetrahedral arrangements with oxygen and shows four bands at about 400, 460, 490 and 530 nm with very low molecular extinction coefficients, and trivalent manganese assuming octahedral symmetry having a broad band at 470–500 nm which under some conditions shows splittings to two or three peaks with high values of molecular extinction coefficients.The paramagnetic character of the glasses containing manganese is usually attributed to the presence of five and four unpaired electrons in the divalent and trivalent states of manganese, respectively. The ratio of trivalent to divalent manganese ions depends on several factors, including the polarisability of the oxygen ligands surrounding the manganese ions, the presence of bridging and non-bridging oxygen and the type of alkali ion present.     

Electronic structure and properties of oxide glasses (II) Basicity measured by copper(II) ion probe in Na2OP2O5, K2OB2O3 and K2SO4ZnSO4 glasses

The correlation between the basicity of oxygens measured by the Cu(II) ion probe and the non-bonding electron density on oxygens in alkali borate glasses was considered. The basicity was measured for K₂OB₂O₃, Na₂OP₂O₅ and K₂SO₄ZnSO₄ glasses and categorized into two types, δ and π, according to the symmetry property of the bonding between a Cu(II) ion and oxygen. The π basicity for borate and phosphate glasses showed an abrupt increase in the vicinity of 17 and 50 mol% alkali oxide, respectively. The values of π-type basicity varied with the composition of glass, being larger in the order: sulfate < phosphate ? borate, whereas δ basicity was constant irrespective of the glass composition. Such a change of the basicity with the composition of glass was interpreted in terms of behavior of non-bonding levels of the ligand oxygens in a glass network.     

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.     

A new modification of Ba[B5O8(OH)] · H2O, the refined structure of Ba2[B5O9]Cl · 0.5H2O, and the role of the pentaborate structural units in the formation of the quadratic optical nonlinearity

The structure of a new modification of the barium pentaborate β-Ba[B₅O₈(OH)] · H₂O synthesized under hydrothermal conditions is investigated. This structure differs from the previously studied structure of the α-Ba[B₅O₈(OH)] · H₂O compound by a shorter interlayer spacing and a higher degree of filling of the intersheet space with water molecules and barium atoms (the space group P is retained). The structure of the Ba₂[B₅O₉] Cl · 0.5H₂O pentaborate from the family of orthorhombic hilgardites (space group Pnn2) is refined, and the property of this crystal to generate the second optical harmonic is revealed. It is found that the previously studied pentaborate Ba₅[B₂₀O₃₃(OH)₄]H₂O exhibits a nonlinear optical activity. The relationship between the structure and properties of hydrous and anhydrous pentaborates is discussed. Original Russian Text ? E.L. Belokoneva, S.Yu. Stefanovich, M.A. Erilov, O.V. Dimitrova, N.N. Mochenova, 2008, published in Kristallografiya, 2008, Vol. 53, No. 2, pp. 255–263.     

Electrical conductivity and photoconductivity of As2S3PbS glasses

Measurements of dc electrical conductivity and photoconductivity of various glassy compositions (x = 0.1?0.625) in (As₂S₃)_1?x(PbS)_x have been made. Experimental results of the temperature dependence of dc conductivity from room temperature to 200°C (which includes the glass transition temperature) are reported. All the compositions exhibit intrinsic conduction in the measured temperature range. Thermal activation energy, glass transition temperature and σ₀ for the compositions studied, were determined from the experimental data. The low value of $\text{σ}{}_0\text{(10?10}{}^{\mathrm{?2}}\text{Ω}{}^{\mathrm{?1}}\text{cm}{}^{\mathrm{?1}}$) in these semiconducting glasses is attributed to the greater participation of localized states in the conduction process.In the measurements of photoconductivity, the variation of photocurrent with temperature, photon energy, light intensity and electric field is observed. The recombination model has been involved to explain the results of photoconductivity. Both electrical and photoconductivity data support the presence of higher density of localized states in the x = 0.1 composition than in others.     

Infrared transmission of (R2O OR R’O)–(TiO2, Nb2O5 OR Ta2O5)-Al2O3 glasses

The new families of aluminate glasses obtained by the present authors from their melts in the systems K₂O–Ta₂O₅–Al₂O₃, Na₂O–K₂O–Ta₂O₅–Al₂O₃, K₂O –Cs₂O– Ta₂O₅–Al₂O₃, K₂O–Nb₂O₅–Al₂O₃, Na₂Oz.sbnd;K₂O–TiO₂–Al₂O₃, BaO–TiO₂–Al₂O₃, BaO–ZrO₂–TiO₂–Al₂O₃ and Na₂O–K₂O–BaO–ZrO₂–Ta₂O₅–TiO₂ –Al₂O₃ showed high transmissions of visible and infrared (IR) radiation ranging from 0.4 to about 6 μm, as well as high refractive indices up to 2.0. Their physical and chemical properties such as glass-forming ability, softening temperature, hardness and hygroscopicity were comparable to conventional silicate glasses. These properties are useful for IR applications. The cause of the high IR transmission of the aluminate glasses was interpreted in terms of the masses of the constituent cations and the single bond strengths of the cations with oxygen ions.     

Investigation of microphase separation in (K2OP2O5)x − (WO3)1−x glasses by electron microscope studies of surface replicas

Microphase sn the glass system (K₂OP₂O₅)_x ? (WO₃)_1?x for x = 0.48 and 0.33 was investigated. In both systems evidence of phase separation on a scale of 100 Å to 200 Å was found. The samples stayed completely amorphous during the cooling process but the two separate phases present in the glasses could unfortunately not be identified. These results coupled with conductivity versus mole percent of WO₃ measurements suggest that the mechanism of phase separation is of the spinodal type.