skip to main content
OSTI.GOV title logo U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Title: Structure of mixed alkali/alkaline-earth silicate glasses from neutron diffraction and vibrational spectroscopy

Journal Article · · Physical Review. B, Condensed Matter and Materials Physics
; ; ;  [1];  [2];  [3]
  1. Department of Applied Physics, Chalmers University of Technology, SE-412 96 Goeteborg (Sweden)
  2. Institute fuer Physikalische Chemie and Sonderforschungsberiech 458, Westfaelische Wilhelms-Universitaet Muenster, Corrensstrasse 30, 48149 Muenster (Germany)
  3. ISIS Facility, CLRC Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Chilton, Didcot OX11 0QX (United Kingdom)

The structures of mixed alkali/alkaline-earth silicate glasses containing Na, Ca, and Sr [xNa{sub 2}O-(3-x)CaO-4SiO{sub 2} with x=0, 0.4, 1.0, 1.5, and Na{sub 2}O-yCaO-(2-y)SrO-4SiO{sub 2} with y=0, 1, 2] were investigated in order to understand the ion conduction properties, particularly the dependencies of cation activation energies on composition. Neutron diffraction, reverse Monte Carlo (RMC) modeling, and vibrational spectroscopy (Raman and specular reflection infrared spectroscopy) techniques were employed. The results show that the cations are dispersed within the Si-O network, which consists of SiO{sub 4} tetrahedrons that are mainly Q{sup 2} and Q{sup 3}. The local environments of Na and Ca are quite similar, but different from that of Sr. The structural results suggest that the replacement of Ca by Na in the Na-Ca series of glasses opens up the structure and allows the formation of diffusion pathways, thus enhancing the diffusion of both Na and Ca, since Ca cations may make use of empty Na sites.

OSTI ID:
20719311
Journal Information:
Physical Review. B, Condensed Matter and Materials Physics, Vol. 72, Issue 6; Other Information: DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevB.72.064206; (c) 2005 The American Physical Society; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 1098-0121
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English