{"title":"Formation of a zirconium oxide crystal nucleus in the initial nucleation stage in aluminosilicate glass investigated by X-ray multiscale analysis","authors":"Yohei Onodera, Yasuyuki Takimoto, Hiroyuki Hijiya, Qing Li, Hiroo Tajiri, Toshiaki Ina, Shinji Kohara","doi":"10.1038/s41427-024-00542-y","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p>Understanding the nucleation mechanism in glass is crucial for the development of new glass-ceramic materials. Herein, we report the structure of a commercially important glass-ceramic ZrO<sub>2</sub>-doped lithium aluminosilicate system during its initial nucleation stage. We conducted an X-ray multiscale analysis, and this analysis was used to observe the structure from the atomic to the nanometer scale by using diffraction, small-angle scattering, absorption, and anomalous scattering techniques. The inherent phase separation between the Zr-rich and Zr-poor regions in the pristine glass was enhanced by thermal treatment without changing the spatial geometry at the nanoscale. Element-specific pair distribution function analysis using anomalous X-ray scattering data showed the formation of a liquid ZrO<sub>2</sub>-like local structural motif and edge sharing between the ZrO<sub><i>x</i></sub> polyhedra and (Si/Al)O<sub>4</sub> tetrahedra during the initial nucleation stage. Furthermore, the local structure of the Zr<sup>4+</sup> ions resembled a cubic or tetragonal ZrO<sub>2</sub> crystalline phase and formed after 2 h of annealing the pristine glass. Therefore, the Zr-centric periodic structure formed in the early stage of nucleation was potentially the initial crystal nucleus for the Zr-doped lithium aluminosilicate glass-ceramic.</p>","PeriodicalId":19382,"journal":{"name":"Npg Asia Materials","volume":"12 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":8.6000,"publicationDate":"2024-04-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Npg Asia Materials","FirstCategoryId":"88","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41427-024-00542-y","RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"MATERIALS SCIENCE, MULTIDISCIPLINARY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Understanding the nucleation mechanism in glass is crucial for the development of new glass-ceramic materials. Herein, we report the structure of a commercially important glass-ceramic ZrO2-doped lithium aluminosilicate system during its initial nucleation stage. We conducted an X-ray multiscale analysis, and this analysis was used to observe the structure from the atomic to the nanometer scale by using diffraction, small-angle scattering, absorption, and anomalous scattering techniques. The inherent phase separation between the Zr-rich and Zr-poor regions in the pristine glass was enhanced by thermal treatment without changing the spatial geometry at the nanoscale. Element-specific pair distribution function analysis using anomalous X-ray scattering data showed the formation of a liquid ZrO2-like local structural motif and edge sharing between the ZrOx polyhedra and (Si/Al)O4 tetrahedra during the initial nucleation stage. Furthermore, the local structure of the Zr4+ ions resembled a cubic or tetragonal ZrO2 crystalline phase and formed after 2 h of annealing the pristine glass. Therefore, the Zr-centric periodic structure formed in the early stage of nucleation was potentially the initial crystal nucleus for the Zr-doped lithium aluminosilicate glass-ceramic.
期刊介绍:
NPG Asia Materials is an open access, international journal that publishes peer-reviewed review and primary research articles in the field of materials sciences. The journal has a global outlook and reach, with a base in the Asia-Pacific region to reflect the significant and growing output of materials research from this area. The target audience for NPG Asia Materials is scientists and researchers involved in materials research, covering a wide range of disciplines including physical and chemical sciences, biotechnology, and nanotechnology. The journal particularly welcomes high-quality articles from rapidly advancing areas that bridge the gap between materials science and engineering, as well as the classical disciplines of physics, chemistry, and biology. NPG Asia Materials is abstracted/indexed in Journal Citation Reports/Science Edition Web of Knowledge, Google Scholar, Chemical Abstract Services, Scopus, Ulrichsweb (ProQuest), and Scirus.