Microstructure and ion-exchange properties of transparent glass–ceramics containing Mg2SiO4 crystals

Abstract

Transparent glass–ceramics (GCs) with excellent mechanical properties is a growing demand in the field of optoelectronic devices. In this work, Mg₂SiO₄ nanocrystals embedded transparent GCs were prepared using the melt-quenching method. The effects of the TiO₂ content on the structural and crystallization properties of glass were examined, and the influence of Mg₂SiO₄ crystallization on the depth of layer (DOL) for K–Na ion-exchange was also investigated. The introduction of TiO₂ was advantageous for the enhanced bulk crystallization of Mg₂SiO₄ nanocrystals within the glass matrix. With an increase in the TiO₂ content, the size of Mg₂SiO₄ nanocrystals decreased, leading to an improvement in the transmittance of the GCs. Crystallization of Mg₂SiO₄ nanocrystals promoted the increase in Vickers hardness and ion-exchange DOL obviously, and the Vickers hardness can further be improved by ion-exchange. Ion-exchange resulted in the transformation of NaAlSiO₄ into KAlSiO₄. Results reported here are valuable for the design and preparation of GCs with excellent mechanical and ion-exchange properties.