Thermal analysis and infrared study of Nb₂O₅–TeO₂ glasses

Abstract

Tellurite glasses of the xNb₂O₅–(100–x) TeO₂, (3 ≤ x ≤ 20 mol%) system have been prepared and studied by IR spectroscopy and differential thermal analysis to explore the role of Nb₂O₅ on their structure. IR analysis indicates that NbO₆ transforms TeO₄ units into tellurite structural TeO₃ units, with a shift of lattice vibrations towards higher wavenumbers. The stretching force constant of the tellurite structural units increases with Nb₂O₅ content, a feature that is attributed to the higher bond strength and higher coordination number of Nb₂O₅ relative to TeO₂. The crystallization kinetics has been studied under non-isothermal conditions using the formal theory of transformations for heterogeneous nucleation. The crystallization results are analyzed, and both the activation energy of the crystallization process and the crystallization mechanism are characterized. The thermal stability of these glasses are characterized in terms of characteristic temperatures, such as the glass-transition temperature, T _g, the temperature of onset of crystallization, T _in, the temperature corresponding to the maximum crystallization rate, T _p, and two kinetic parameters, K(T _g) and K(T _p). The results reveal that thermal stability increases with increasing Nb₂O₅ content. XRD diffraction of the studied glasses indicates the presence of microcrystallites of α-tellurite, γ-telluride, Nb₂Te₄O₁₃ and an amorphous matrix.

Acknowledgements

The authors thank Al Azhar University (Assiut-Egypt) for financial support.