Copper, Silver, Rubidium And Caesium Ion Exchange In Soda-Lime-Silica Float Glass By Direct Deposition And In Line Melting Of Salt Pastes

This article reports on the change of surface composition on commercial soda-lime-silica (SLS) float glass which results from single-side exchange of Na+ by Cu+, Ag+, Rb+ and Cs+, respectively. Ion exchange is achieved by in line melting of a directly deposited salt paste in a prolonged annealing procedure. Concentration profiles obtained and computed effective diffusion coefficients, as well as apparent activation energies for diffusion, are reported. Depending on exchange species, treatment time and treatment temperature, the penetration depths are in the range of 10-20 um for K+, Cu+, Rb+ and Cs+. A penetration depth of >100um can readily be obtained for Ag+.