Structural Change in the Process of Permanent Densification of Fluorozirconate Glass studied with Molecular Dynamics Simulations.

Y. Tamai, Y. Kawamoto

Phys. Rev., B 62, 865-873 (2000)


Abstract

Molecular dynamics simulations have been performed on a fluorozirconate glass (55ZrF4 17BaF2 5EuF3 23NaF) in order to elucidate a mechanism of the peculiar permanent densification behavior, which was recently found by high-pressure experiments. Structural changes in the glass during the permanent densification process have been investigated in detail. Under high pressures, changes in the connectivity of network-forming ZrFn and EuFn polyhedra cause the contraction of interstices around network-modifying Ba2+ and Na+ ions, accompanying an increase in the coordination numbers. The glass network structures under high pressures are fully or partially preserved even after decompression at far or moderately lower temperatures than Tg. The partial preservation of the connectivity of network-forming polyhedra causes maxima in treatment-pressure dependencies of structural relaxation in the F- coordination environments around the network-modifying ions. This is responsible for the peculiar permanent densification behavior.
Copyright (c) 2000 Yoshinori Tamai