Complex Nucleation & Crystal Growth Mechanisms In Applied Multi-Component Glass-Ceramics

The complex mechanisms of nucleation and crystallisation ere studied in three multi-component glass ceramics (i: Si02-Al203-Na20-K20-CaO-P205F, ii: Si02-Li20-Zr02-P205 iii: Si02-Li2O-ZnO-K2O-P2O5). Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and kinetic investigations were conducted. Base glasses of each of the glass-ceramic systems were examined to determine parallel and consecutive nucleation and crystallization reactions which lead to the preferred main crystal phases in the microstructure of these glass-ceramic. The driving force for diffusion transport in the glass matrices is provided by steep compositional gradients resulting from micro-and nano-scale microstructural heterogeneties.