The structure of glass is unusual as an amorphous solid it lacks any long-range structural periodicity. Rather the glass is composed of short-range structural units; the frequency of each depends on the composition of the glass, in terms of the ratio of modifier to glass former. As this ratio changes, the physical and chemical properties also change. We synthesized a series of alkali borosilicate glasses and examined their Raman spectra to characterize these changes. By varying the mol ratio of modifier to former for each glass type we observe trends in the vibrational spectra, which indicate changes in the short-range structural. The Raman shift and the peak intensity were used to help determine the insertion of the cation into the glass structures, as well as the formation of new structures. Lastly, the heaviest of alkali metals modify the structure such that is becomes hygroscopic while sodium and lithium remain unreactive in atmosphere.

Investigation of glass structures using Raman spectroscopy

253rd National Meeting (2017)

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