Structural study of magnesium polyphosphate glasses

Magnesium polyphosphate glasses with molar ratios, y=n(MgO)/n(P₂O₅), ranging from 1.0 to 1.9 have been examined by X-ray and neutron scattering and ³¹P magic angle spinning nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy to extract information on their short-range, intermediate-range and submicroscopic structure. The depolymerization of the PO₄ chains with rising MgO content is quantitatively described by the increasing concentration of Q¹ and Q⁰ groups determined by NMR. In the pyrophosphate region the Q¹ sites disproportionate to Q⁰ and Q² groups, whereas there is no disproportionation of the Q² sites at metaphosphate composition. The shortening of the real-space distances, r_m, indicates that the structure of the glasses becomes more compact with progressive depolymerization which is due to the increasing connection of the MgO_n polyhedra by sharing the non-bridging oxygen atoms. The Mg–O co-ordination sphere was found to change not significantly in dependence on composition. Heterogeneities about 1 nm in diameter exist in the glasses with MgO content exceeding 46.6 mol% indicated by a weak small angle X-ray scattering.