Characterization of the glass transition in vitreous silica by temperature scanning small-angle X-ray scattering

¹ Physics Department, Mount Allison University - 67 York Street Sackville (NB), Canada E4L 1E6
² Laboratoire des Colloïdes, Verres et Nanomatériaux UMR 5587 CNRS-Université Montpellier II cc 69, 34095 Montpellier Cedex, France
³ LTPCM-ENSEEG-INPG, UMR-CNRS 5614 BP 75, 38402 St. Martin d'Hères Cedex, France
⁴ Laboratoire de Cristallographie, UPR 5031, CNRS BP 166, 38042 Grenoble, France

Corresponding author: rbruening@mta.ca

Received: 28 October 2004
Accepted: 28 February 2005

Abstract

The temperature dependence of the X-ray scattering in the region below the first sharp diffraction peak was measured for silica glasses with low and high content (GE-124 and Corning 7980). Data were obtained upon scanning the temperature at 10, 40 and 80 between 400 and 1820. The measurements resolve, for the first time, the hysteresis between heating and cooling through the glass transition for silica glass, and the data have a better signal-to-noise ratio than previous light scattering and differential thermal analysis data. For the glass with the higher hydroxyl concentration, the glass transition is broader and at a lower temperature. Fits of the data to the Adam-Gibbs-Fulcher equation provide updated kinetic parameters for this very strong glass. The temperature derivative of the observed X-ray scattering matches that of light scattering to within 14%.