Short-Range And Medium-Range Order In Lithium Silicate Glasses, Part 11: Simulation Of The Structure By The Reverse Monte Carlo Method

The results of X-ray and neutron diffraction experiments with (Li20)x(Si02)100-x glasses (x=0, 20, 33.3, and 40) are discussed using the Reverse Monte Carlo method to produce atomic clusters, which are analyzed with respect to the 0-0 distribution, the angular correlations within the first and higher coordination spheres, and the bond-orientational multipole moments. Within Li20-containing silicate glasses, each lithium atom is surrounded by a ring of six Si04 tetrahedra in such a way that four oxygen atoms lie at the joints of a tetragonal cell centred by lithium. Thus, the lithium atoms increase the order of the glass.