Photonucleation has been studied previously in glasses in the lithium silicate system. In this work it was intended to extend this phenomenon to the lithium aluminosilicate system in order to crystallize /3-spodumene only. Various glass compositions with alumina content varying from 10 to 25 wt. were investigated. Glass batches were mixed with water to form a slurry completely dried and then melted. Glass was then exposed to UV radiation and subsequently heat treated. When prepared in this manner photonucleation was not obtained for these systems containing higher amounts of alumina. However when the slurry was allowed to form a wet but firm mixture and then melted the resulting glass exhibited the photonucleation effect. The results are explained in terms of the oxidative nature of water in silicate batches and melts. 1

Date Published: 1 October 1990
PDF: 7 pages
Proc. SPIE 1327, Properties and Characteristics of Optical Glass II, (1 October 1990); doi: 10.1117/12.22523

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 1327:
Properties and Characteristics of Optical Glass II
Alexander J. Marker III, Editor(s)