Dehydration and recrystallization of radiation-damaged titanite under thermal annealing

Abstract

Dehydration of oriented sections of a radiation-damaged titanite crystal, CaTiSiO₅, at temperatures up to 1500K was analysed using infrared spectroscopy. The IR spectra of the untreated sample show only a very weak orientational dependence. The absence of sharp absorption peaks at wave number near 3486 cm⁻¹ in metamict titanite shows that the local environmental configurations of OH species in the metamict titanite differ strongly from that of crystalline titanite. The OH spectra of radiation-damaged titanite can be decomposed into two components: the first component shows anisotropic and sharp spectral features while the second component consists of a broad spectral feature like those observed in disordered silica glasses. It is proposed that the first component is related to the crystalline part of the titanite sample while the second is from the defected and disordered part which suffered strong radiation damage. With increasing annealing temperature, a decrease in the broad absorption between 2500 and 3200 cm⁻¹ is accompanied by a recovery of sharp IR bands near 3486 cm⁻¹ which display the same orientational dependence as undamaged single crystals. Annealing the sample at 1000K leads to the line profiles and orientational dependence of the main OH stretching bands near 3486cm⁻¹ that are virtually identical with those of crystalline, undamaged titanites. At temperatures above 1500 K, the crystal starts to melt and the orientational dependence of the IR absorption is destroyed. The recrystallization processes are quantified and discussed in terms of a percolation behaviour of amorphous and crystalline titanite. It is proposed that hydrogen transport is strongly enhanced during recrystallization.

Key Words:

• Titanite
• Infrared spectroscopy
• Metamict
• Radiation damage
• Thermal annealing
• Hydrous species