Thermo-mechanical behavior of Se-Te-Sn-In glass-ceramic alloys: Influence of indium concentration and micro-indentation load

In this study, we reported the micro-hardness results of Se₇₈₋ₓTe₂₀Sn₂Inₓ (x = 0, 2, 4, 6) glass-ceramic alloys, tested using micro-indentation under various loads for fixed durations. Vickers hardness was calculated using both optical microscopy and micro-indentation techniques. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) techniques were used to identify the thermally activated glass transition process and structure of the as-prepared samples.

We developed a new empirical formula for the theoretical estimation of the elastic moduli, including Young modulus (Y), bulk modulus (B), and shear modulus (G). Additionally, we investigated the covalent nature of the glassy system along with other mechanical properties, such as micro-void formation energy (E_h), fragility index (m), and micro-void volume (V_h). Furthermore, we determined several physical characteristics, including density (ρ), molar volume (M_V), compactness (δ), chemical bond strength, and overall mean bond energy (<E>). The cross-linking of indium with selenium chains indicates that rigidity transitions are driven as the indium content increases, along with the growing number density of In₂Se₃ and InSe.