Nuclear Magnetic Resonance and FTIR Structural Studies on Borosilicate Glasses Containing Iron Oxide

The structure of borosilicate glasses of composition 30Na2O-2Al2O3-25SiO2-xFe2O3 (43-x) B2O3 has been investigated in the composition range of 0.5 20 mol% Fe2O3. 27Al, 11B, 29 Si MAS NMR and FTIR spectroscopies have been used to measure the fraction of different structural species in the glasses. It is evidenced from NMR data that both sodium and Fe2O3 (in low region up to 7 mol%) are the main glass modifier. Structural determination for borosilicate glasses with a high content of (Fe2O3) was carried out by FTIR spectroscopy, where both 11B and 29Si MAS NMR are impossible because of the high quantities of paramagnetic iron (III) species present. NMR analysis was performed on borosilicate glasses containing up to 7 mol% Fe2O3 and the N4 values obtained by FTIR spectroscopy agree within error with the 11B NMR results of the same glass samples. Fe2O3 is a main glass modifier in the low-Fe2O3-content region (≤6 mol%). On other hand, it plays the role of glass former at higher content of Fe2O3. Increasing both N4 of boron tetrahedral units and chemical shift of silicon nuclei to reach maxima at 5 mol% Fe2O3 confirms the role of Fe2O3 as a glass modifier in the low composition region. On the other hand, fast decrease in N4 with further increasing Fe2O3 contents ≥6 mol%) is an evidence for iron oxide to inter the glass network as a network former.

Morphological and Structural Investigations on Iron Borosilicate Glasses

Borosilicate glasses and glass ceramics in the system 30Na2O-2Al2O3-25SiO2-xFe2O3(43-x)B2O3 (x = 0 - 20 mol%) have been prepared and studied by distinguished techniques. X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscope (TEM), electron diffraction pattern (EDP) and SEM experiments are applied to explore the induced structural changes. Nanometer-sized species of polycrystalline structure are formed particularly in low Fe2O3 containing glasses. The size of the crystallites is found to depend on Fe2O3 concentrations. It is ranged from 10 to 33 nanometers. Structurally, these materials are suggested to contain different components, crystalline component and an interfacial component which situated between the crystallized domains. Presence of these components affects the atomic arrangement without short- or long-range order. An intermediate range ordered structure is dominant in glass ceramics of Fe2O3 2O3 concentration, since more disordered structure of lower size is present. These structural changes are found to be connected with the role of Fe2O3 and Na2O in glasses. Na2O is the strong glass modifier in the studied composition region, while Fe2O3 is consumed also as a modifier in composition of 2O3 is mainly dominant in the composition region of higher iron oxide concentration (8 - 20 mol%).