The present review is intended to revisit the advances and debates in the comprehension of the mechanisms of subcritical crack propagation in silicate glasses almost a century after its initial developments. Glass has inspired the initial insights of Griffith into the origin of brittleness and the ensuing development of modern fracture mechanics. Yet, through the decades the real nature of the fundamental mechanisms of crack propagation in glass has escaped a clear comprehension which could gather general agreement on subtle problems such as the role of plasticity, the role of the glass composition, the environmental condition at the crack tip and its relation to the complex mechanisms of corrosion and leaching. The different processes are analysed here with a special focus on their relevant space and time scales in order to question their domain of action and their contribution in both the kinetic laws and the energetic aspects.
Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) is one of the most versatile probes for silicate glasses, allowing determination of, e.g., transition temperatures (glass, crystallization, melting) and the temperature dependence of heat capacity. However, complications arise for glasses featuring overlapping transitions and low sensitivity, e.g., arising from SiO2-rich compositions with small change in heat capacity during glass transition or the low sensitivity of thermocouples at high temperature. These challenges might be overcome using temperature-modulated DSC (TM-DSC), which enables separation of…
Although experiments can offer some fingerprints of the atomic structure of glasses (coordination numbers, pair distribution function, etc.), atomistic simulations are often required to directly access the structure itself (i.e., the positions of the atoms). On the one hand, molecular dynamics (MD) simulations can be used to generate by quenching a liquid - but MD simulations remain plagued by extremely high cooling rates. On the other hand, reverse Monte Carlo (RMC) modeling bypasses the melt-quenching route - but RMC often yields non-unique glass structures. Here, we adopt the force-enhanced…
A model is derived for the viscoelastic response of glasses at isothermal uniaxial deformation with small strains. A glass is treated as an ensemble of relaxing units with various activation energies for rearrangement. With reference to the energy-landscape concept, the rearrangement process is thought of as a series of hops of relaxing units (trapped in their potential wells on the energy landscape) to higher energy levels. Stress-strain relations are developed by using the laws of thermodynamics. Adjustable parameters are found by fitting experimental data in torsional dynamic tests on a mul…
Ion conducting $(CaO)_x(SiO_2)_{1-x}$ glasses and melts show a threshold behaviour in dc conductivity near $x=x_t=0.50$, with conductivities increasing linearly at $x>x_t$. We show that the behaviour can be traced to a rigid ($x<0.50$) to floppy ($x>0.50$) elastic phase transition near $x=x_t$. In the floppy phase, conductivity enhancement is traced to increased mobility or diffusion of $Ca^{2+}$ carriers as the modified network elastically softens.
The mixed-alkali effect on the cation dynamics in silicate glasses is analyzed via molecular dynamics simulations. Observations suggest a description of the dynamics in terms of stable sites mostly specific to one ionic species. As main contributions to the mixed--alkali slowdown longer residence times and an increased probability of correlated backjumps are identified. The slowdown is related to the limited accessibility of foreign sites. The mismatch experienced in a foreign site is stronger and more retarding for the larger ions, the smaller ions can be temporarily accommodated. Also correl…
We have performed a study of the magnetic, magnetoelastic, and corrosion resistance properties of seven different composition magnetoelastic-resonant platforms. For some applications, such as structural health monitoring, these materials must have not only good magnetomechanical properties, but also a high corrosion resistance. In the fabricated metallic glasses of composition Fe(73-x)NixCr5Si10B12, the Fe/Ni ratio was varied (Fe + Ni = 73% at.) thus changing the magnetic and magnetoelastic properties. A small amount of chromium (Cr5) was added in order to achieve the desired good corrosion re…
Nucleation is generally viewed as a structural fluctuation that passes a critical size to eventually become a stable emerging new phase. However, this concept leaves out many details, such as changes in cluster composition and competing pathways to the new phase. In this work, both experimental and computer modeling studies are used to understand the cluster composition and pathways. Monte Carlo and molecular dynamics approaches are used to analyze the thermodynamic and kinetic contributions to the nucleation landscape in barium silicate glasses. Experimental techniques examine the resulting p…
We present a detailed analysis of the ion hopping dynamics and the related nearby oxygen dynamics in a lithium meta silicate glass via molecular dynamics simulation. For this purpose we have developed numerical techniques to identify ion hops and to sample and average dynamic information of the particles involved. This leads to an instructive insight into the microscopic interplay of ions and network. It turns out that the cooperative dynamics of lithium and oxygen can be characterized as a sliding door mechanism. It is rationalized why the local network fluctuations are of utmost importance f…
Over the past 40 years measurements of the nucleation rates in a large number of silicate glasses have indicated a breakdown in the widely used Classical Nucleation Theory (CNT) for temperatures below that of the peak nucleation rate. The data show that instead of steadily decreasing with decreasing temperature, the work of critical cluster formation enters a plateau, and even starts to increase. While many explanations have been offered to explain this anomaly, none have provided a satisfactory answer. We present the first experimental results that demonstrate that the anomaly is not real, bu…
In this work, we use molecular dynamics simulations to study the enhancement of surface over bulk diffusion (surface enhanced diffusion) in (PbO)x(SiO2)1-x glasses. This work is motivated to better understand surface diffusion in glasses and its connection to fragility, and to enhance surface diffusion in silica and related glasses for greater thermodynamic stability during vapor-deposition. By adding PbO to silica, the fragility of glass increases continuously for 10% <= x <= 70% during experiments. The increase in fragility may correspond to an increase in surface enhanced diffusion, as frag…
Understanding, predicting and eventually improving the resistance to fracture of silicate materials is of primary importance to design new glasses that would be tougher, while retaining their transparency. However, the atomic mechanism of the fracture in amorphous silicate materials is still a topic of debate. In particular, there is some controversy about the existence of ductility at the nano-scale during the crack propagation. Here, we present simulations of the fracture of three archetypical silicate glasses using molecular dynamics. We show that the methodology that is used provide realis…
Oxide glasses are made of a network of glass former polyhedra, and modifiers which have a role in neutralizing the charge of the glass former polyhedra or depolymerize the glass network. The effect of the modifier content on the structure and properties of the glass are to some extent, well known. However, the effect of the type of modifiers on the clustering and the tendency to form a phase separation in the glass is not investigated in detail and still not fully understood until now. Here, we use molecular dynamics to investigate the effect of the modifier type on the structure and the clust…
Structure and properties of magnesium silicate and borate melts and glasses were investigated by using newly parameterized interaction potentials in molecular dynamics simulations and compared with those of calcium silicate and borate. The competition between the depolymerization of the silica network and the formation of new bonds with modifier ions leads to the enhancement of the elastic moduli with increasing modifier content in alkaline earth silicate glasses. Compared with calcium silicate, the higher elastic moduli of magnesium silicate result from a higher connectivity of the overall gl…
The existence of nanoscale ductility during the fracture of silicate glasses remains controversial. Here, based on molecular dynamics simulations coupled with topological constraint theory, we show that nano-ductility arises from the spatial heterogeneity of the atomic network's rigidity. Specifically, we report that localized floppy modes of deformation in under-constrained regions of the glass enable plastic deformations of the network, resulting in permanent change in bond configurations. Ultimately, these heterogeneous plastic events percolate, thereby resulting in a non-brittle mode of fr…
Multiscale Experimental Evidence of a Transitory State in the HDA-LDA Transition in Alumino-sodo-silicate Glasses
Institut Lumière Matière UMR CNRS 5306, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, CNRS（里昂第一大学物质与光研究所）；Institute of Glass and Ceramics, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Friedrich Alexander University Erlangen Nuremberg（埃尔朗根-纽伦堡弗里德里希·亚历山大大学玻璃与陶瓷研究所）
Developing accurate, transferable, and computationally-efficient interatomic forcefields is key to facilitate the modeling of silicate glasses. However, the high number of forcefield parameters that need to be optimized render traditional parameterization methods poorly efficient or potentially subject to bias. Here, we present a new forcefield parameterization methodology based on ab initio molecular dynamics simulations, Gaussian process regression, and Bayesian optimization. By taking the example of glassy silica, we show that our methodology yields a new interatomic forcefield that offers …
The original electronic structure of the Pb$^{2+}$ ion explains its particular structural role in crystalline phases and silicate glasses. After a description of the structural role of lead in crystalline phases (PbO, silicates), this chapter presents a summary of the main structural studies carried out on glasses from the SiO$_2$-PbO, SiO$_2$-PbO-R$_2$O (R: alkaline) and SiO$_2$-PbO-Al$_2$O$_3$ systems, using various spectroscopic and simulation techniques.
Individual cationic site--energies are explicitly determined from molecular dynamics simulations of alkali silicate glasses, and the properties and relevance of this local energetics to ion transport are studied. The absence of relaxations on the timescale of ion transport proves the validity of a static description of the energy landscape, as it is generally used in hopping models. The Coulomb interaction among the cations turns out essential to obtain an average energy landscape in agreement with typical simplified hopping models. Strong correlations exist both between neighboring sites and …
Alkaline earth silicate glasses $xCaO-(1-x)SiO_2$ exhibit a well marked threshold in Raman lineshapes which can be related to the onset of network rigidity as the concentration of calcium oxide $x$ is decreased. The present results are analyzed by constraint counting algorithms and more deeply characterized by a size increasing cluster approximation that allows to perform Maxwell mechanical constraint counting beyond the usual mean-field treatment. This permits to discuss under which structural conditions an elastic intermediate phase can be obtained.
Optical materials with semiconductor nanoparticles within dielectric matrices are of interest for construction of non-linear optical elements, selective filters, spectral converters, etc. In the present work, we concern the glasses with PbS and PbSe fabricated by the two-step technique on the basis of silicate glass matrix and report the recent studied using the small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) technique. A proper understanding the structure of material, size of particles and spectral features need to control optical functionality of glasses. SANS is efficient non-destructive technique al…
The slow advance of a crack in sodo-silicate glasses was studied at nanometer scale by in situ and real time atomic force microscopy (AFM) in a well controlled atmosphere. An enhanced diffusion of sodium ions in the stress gradient field at the submicrometric vicinity of the crack tip was revealed through several effects: growth of nodules in AFM height images, changes in the AFM tip/sample energy dissipation. The nodules patterns revealed a dewetting phenomenon evidenced by 'breath figures'. Complementary chemical micro-analyses were done. These experimental results were explained by a two-st…
The synthesis of Ag nanoclusters in sodalime silicate glasses and silica was studied by optical absorption (OA) and electron spin resonance (ESR) experiments under both low (gamma-ray) and high (MeV ion) deposited energy density irradiation conditions. Both types of irradiation create electrons and holes whose density and thermal evolution - notably via their interaction with defects - are shown to determine the clustering and growth rates of Ag nanocrystals. We thus establish the influence of redox interactions of defects and silver (poly)ions. The mechanisms are similar to the latent image f…
A systematic review of main physical effects generated by ion exchange in silicate glasses is presented. Ion concentration distributions, residual stress profiles, and refractive index effects are discussed with particular attention on the physical and mathematical underpinnings of the ion exchange process. The study has the purpose of presenting a scientific foundation to enable future developments in the field. In this respect, the objective of this article is more educational than to present new research results. Appendixes are included to consider the detail of some specific topics without…
The local structural environment and the spatial distribution of iron and aluminum ions in sodosilicate glasses with composition NaFexAl1-xSi2O6 (x = 1, 0.8, 0.5 and 0) is studied by high-resolution neutron diffraction combined with structural modeling using the Empirical Potential Structure Refinement (EPSR) code. This work gives evidence of differences in the structural behavior of Al3+ and Fe3+, which are both often considered to act as network formers in charge-balanced compositions. The short-range environment and the structural role of the two cations are not composition dependent, and h…
Predicting the dissolution rates of silicate glasses in aqueous conditions is a complex task as the underlying mechanism(s) remain poorly understood and the dissolution kinetics can depend on a large number of intrinsic and extrinsic factors. Here, we assess the potential of data-driven models based on machine learning to predict the dissolution rates of various aluminosilicate glasses exposed to a wide range of solution pH values, from acidic to caustic conditions. Four classes of machine learning methods are investigated, namely, linear regression, support vector machine regression, random f…
The development by machine learning of models predicting materials' properties usually requires the use of a large number of consistent data for training. However, quality experimental datasets are not always available or self-consistent. Here, as an alternative route, we combine machine learning with high-throughput molecular dynamics simulations to predict the Young's modulus of silicate glasses. We demonstrate that this combined approach offers excellent predictions over the entire compositional domain. By comparing the performance of select machine learning algorithms, we discuss the natur…
We use large-scale simulations to investigate the dynamic fracture of silica and sodium-silicate glasses under uniaxial tension. The stress-strain curves demonstrate that silica glass is brittle whereas the glasses rich in Na show pronounced ductility. A strong composition dependence is also seen in the crack velocity which is on the order of 1800 m/s for glasses with low Na concentration and decreases to 700 m/s if the concentration is high. We find that during the fracture of Na-rich glasses very irregular cavities as large as 3-4 nm form ahead of the crack front, indicating the presence of …
Although molecular dynamics (MD) simulations are commonly used to predict the structure and properties of glasses, they are intrinsically limited to short time scales, necessitating the use of fast cooling rates. It is therefore challenging to compare results from MD simulations to experimental results for glasses cooled on typical laboratory time scales. Based on MD simulations of a sodium silicate glass with varying cooling rate (from 0.01 to 100 K/ps), here we show that thermal history primarily affects the medium-range order structure, while the short-range order is largely unaffected over…
The Brillouin elastic free energy change $DF$ between thermally annealed and quenched $(Na_2O)_x(SiO_2)_{1-x}$ glasses is found to decrease linearly at $x > 0.23$ (floppy phase), and to nearly vanish at $x < 0.18$ (stressed- rigid phase). The observed $D F(x)$ variation closely parallels the mean-field floppy mode fraction $f(x)$ in random networks, and fixes the two (floppy, stressed-rigid) elastic phases. In calorimetric measurements, the non-reversing enthalpy near $T_g$ is found to be large at $x < 0.18$ and at $x > 0.23$, but to nearly vanish in the $0.18 < x < 0.23$ range, suggesting exi…
We use \textit{ab initio} molecular dynamics simulations to investigate the properties of the dry surface of pure silica and sodium silicate glasses. The surface layers are defined based on the atomic distributions along the direction ($z-$direction) perpendicular to the surfaces. We show that these surfaces have a higher concentration of dangling bonds as well as two-membered (2M) rings than the bulk samples. Increasing concentration of Na$_2$O reduces the proportion of structural defects. From the vibrational density of states, one concludes that 2M rings have a unique vibrational signature …
For small tension the response of a solid to an applied stress is given by Hooke's law. Outside this linear regime the relation between stress and strain is no longer universal and at present there is no satisfactory insight on how to connect for disordered materials the stress-strain relation to the microscopic properties of the system. Here we use atomistic computer simulations to establish this connection for the case of silicate glasses containing modifiers. By probing how in the highly non-linear regime the stress-strain curve depends on composition, we are able to identify the microscopi…
We present results of molecular dynamics simulations on lithium metasilicate over a broad range of temperatures for which the silicate network is frozen in but the lithium ions can still be equilibrated. The lithium dynamics is studied via the analysis of different correlation functions. The activation energy for the lithium mobility agrees very well with experimental data. The correlation of the dynamics of adjacent ions is weak. At low temperatures the dynamics can be separated into local vibrational dynamics and hopping events between adjacent lithium sites. The derivative of the mean squar…
Since crack propagation in oxide materials at low crack velocities is partly determined by chemical corrosion, proper knowledge of the crack tip chemistry is crucial for understanding fracture in these materials. Such knowledge can be obtained only from in situ studies because the processes that occur in the highly confined environment of the crack tip are very different from those that take place at free surfaces, or that can be traced post mortem. We report the occurrence of hydrous liquid condensate between the two fracture surfaces in the vicinity of the tip of tensile cracks in silica. Ob…
The mass average interdiffusion coefficient DM is an approximated constant value of the interdiffusion coefficient which is relevant in the kinetics of ion exchange in silicate glasses. In this study, it is presented a simple technique for its determination based on the weight change of a glass sample after ion exchange. The theoretical basis of the method is presented in detail together with the approximations assumed in considering the constancy of the DM . Experimental results are presented for soda-lime silicate glasses and it is demonstrated the correlation of DM with the ion exchange tem…
Density is one of the most commonly measured or estimated materials properties, especially for glasses and melts that are of significant interest to many fields, including metallurgy, geology, materials science and sustainable cements. Here, two types of machine learning (ML) models (i.e., random forest (RF) and artificial neural network (ANN)) have been developed to predict the room-temperature density of glasses in the compositional space of CaO-MgO-Al2O3-SiO2-TiO2-FeO-Fe2O3-Na2O-K2O-MnO (CMASTFNKM), based on ~2100 data points mined from ~140 literature studies. The results show that the RF …
The short and medium range structure of a NaFeSi2O6 (NFS) glass has been investigated by high-resolution neutron diffraction with Fe isotopic substitution, combined with Empirical Potential Structure Refinement (EPSR) simulations. The majority (~60%) of Fe is 4-coordinated ([4]Fe) and corresponds only to ferric iron, Fe3+, with a distance d[4]Fe3+-O=1.87$\pm$0.01Å . This is at variance with the 3D-structure predicted by glass stoichiometry. The existence of a majority of [4]Fe3+ sites illustrates a glass structure that differs from the structure of crystalline NaFeSi2O6, which contains only oc…
Metallic glasses are excellent candidates for biomedical implant applications due to their inherent strength and corrosion resistance. Use of metallic glasses in structural applications is limited, however, because bulk dimensions are challenging to achieve. Glass-forming ability (GFA) varies strongly with alloy composition and becomes more difficult to predict as the number of chemical species in a system increases. Here we present a theoretical model - implemented in the AFLOW framework - for predicting GFA based on the competition between crystalline phases, and apply it to biologically rel…
This high level liquid radioactive reprocessing waste will become vitrified in order to obtain a stable borosilicate waste glass matrix that provides protection against environmental dispersion. Since vitrified waste is in a solid form, transportation, storage and final geological disposal are facilitated. The glass products contain the non-extracted fraction of uranium and plutonium together with the minor actinides Am, Np and Cm and fission products such as (90Sr, 99Tc ou 137Cs). In the long term, the safest way to deal with actinide containing nuclear waste (vitrified waste or spent fuel) i…
Ion-exchange is commonly used to chemically strengthen glasses, by replacing small atoms by larger ones at sub T$_g$ temperature, thereby inducing a compressive stress. However, the resulting expansion of the glass remains lower than that predicted by the difference of molar volumes of the as-cooled glasses, an anomaly that remains poorly understood. Here, based on molecular dynamcis simulations of permanently densified sodium silicate glasses coupled with topological constraint theory, we show that the rigidity of the network controls the extent of the dilatation. Isostatic networks, which ar…
High-resolution Brillouin scattering is used to achieve 3-dimensional maps of the longitudinal acoustic mode frequency shift in soda-lime silicate glasses subject to Vickers indentations. Assuming that residual stress-induced effects are simply proportional to density changes, residual densification fields are obtained. The density gradient is nearly isotropic, confirming earlier optical observations made on a similar glass. The results show that Brillouin micro-spectroscopy opens the way to a fully quantitative comparison of experimental data with predictions of mechanical models for the iden…
Nuclear spent fuel reprocessing generates high level radioactive waste with high Mo concentration that are currently immobilized in borosilicate glass matrices containing both alkali and alkaline-earth elements [1]. Because of its high field strength, Mo6+ ion has a limited solubility in silicate and borosilicate glasses and crystallization of alkali or alkaline-earth molybdates can be observed during melt cooling or heat treatment of glasses [2-4]. Glass composition changes can significantly modify the nature and the relative proportions of molybdate crystals that may form during natural cool…
Establishing the composition-structure-property relationships for amorphous materials is critical for many important natural and engineering processes, including the dissolution of highly complex volcanic glasses. In this investigation, we performed force field molecular dynamics (MD) simulations to generate detailed structural representations for ten natural CaO-MgO-Al2O3-SiO2-TiO2-FeO-Fe2O3-Na2O-K2O glasses with compositions ranging from rhyolitic to basaltic. Based on the resulting atomic structural representations at 300 K, we have calculated the partial radial distribution functions, near…
Using molecular dynamics simulations we investigate the dependence of the structural and vibrational properties of the surfaces of sodo-silicate glasses on the sodium content as well as the nature of the surface. Two types of glass surfaces are considered: A melt-formed surface (MS) in which a liquid with a free surface has been cooled down into the glass phase and a fracture surface (FS) obtained by tensile loading of a glass sample. We find that the MS is more abundant in Na and non-bridging oxygen atoms than the FS and the bulk glass, whereas the FS has higher concentration of structural de…
In recent years, tailoring the properties of bioactive glasses through compositional design have become the subject of widespread interest for their use in medical application, e.g., tissue regeneration. Understanding the mixed alkali effect (MAE) in oxide glasses is of fundamental importance for tailoring the glass compositions to control the mobility of ions and, therefore, the glass properties that depend on it, such as ion release, glass transition temperature, and ionic conductivity. However, most of the previously designed bioactive glasses were based on trial-and-error, which is due to …
Structural, vibrational and thermal properties of densified sodium silicate (NS2) are investigated with classical molecular dynamics simulations of the glass and the liquid state. A systematic investigation of the glass structure with respect to density was performed. We observe a repolymerization of the network manifested by a transition from a tetrahedral to an octahedral silicon environment, the decrease of the amount of non-bridging oxygen atoms and the appearance of three-fold coordinated oxygen atoms (triclusters). Anomalous changes in the medium range order are observed, the first sharp…
The short-range structure of an iron doped soda-lime glass was investigated by infrared emissivity spectroscopy from room temperature up to the melt. Quantitative information on the distribution of the Q^n tetrahedral units was obtained by fitting the emissivity spectra using a dielectric function model (DFM). The DFM is based on causal Gaussian bands, associated with the stretching motions of the silicate tetrahedra. The changes in the absorption modes are related to the activation of a dynamical disorder that continuously increases with temperature. The obtained Q^n speciation at room temper…
The similarity in atomic structure between liquids and glasses has stimulated a long-standing hypothesis that the nature of glasses may be more fluid like, rather than an apparent solid. In principle, the nature of glasses can be characterized by measuring the dynamic response of rheology to shear strain rate in the glass state. However, limited by the brittleness of glasses and current experimental techniques, the dynamic behaviors of glasses were mainly assessed in the supercooled liquid state or in the glass state within a narrow rate range. Therefore, the nature of glasses has not been wel…
Fractoluminescence experiments are performed on two kinds of silicate glasses. All the light spectra collected during dynamic fracture reveal a black body radiator behaviour, which is interpreted as a crack velocity-dependent temperature rise close to the crack tip. Crack velocities are estimated to be of the order of 1300 m.s$^{-1}$ and fracture process zones are shown to extend over a few nanometers.
Although it is indeed commonly believed that, as frozen supercooled liquids, glasses should continue to flow over the years (e.g., in the case of the stained-glass windows of medieval cathedrals), the dramatic increase of their viscosity below the glass transition temperature suggests, on the contrary, that their relaxation time is on the order of 10$^{32}$ years at room temperature. However, a recent study conducted by Mauro et al. reported the intriguing dynamics of the relaxation of a commercial Corning Gorilla Glass at room temperature, over 1.5 years. Here, we report a novel atomistic sim…
Based on molecular dynamics simulations of a lithium metasilicate glass we study the potential of bond valence sum calculations to identify sites and diffusion pathways of mobile Li ions in a glassy silicate network. We find that the bond valence method is not well suitable to locate the sites, but allows one to estimate the number of sites. Spatial regions of the glass determined as accessible for the Li ions by the bond valence method can capture up to 90% of the diffusion path. These regions however entail a significant fraction that does not belong to the diffusion path. Because of this lo…
Water molecules play a fundamental role in the physics of slow crack propagation in glasses. It is commonly understood that, during stress-corrosion, water molecules that move in the crack cavity effectively reduce the bond strength at the strained crack tip and, thus, support crack propagation. Yet the details of the environmental condition at the crack tip in moist air are not well determined. In a previous work, we reported direct evidence of the presence of a 100 nm long liquid condensate at the crack tip in fused silica glass during very slow crack propagation (10^-9 to 10^-10 m/s). These…
