CRYSTALLIZATION AND THERMAL EXPANSION CHARACTERISTICS OF In2O3-CONTAINING LITHIUM IRON SILICATE-DIOPSIDE GLASSES

The crystallization characteristics of glasses based on lithium iron silicate (LiFeSi2O6)-diopside (CaMgSi2O6) composition with addition of Al2O3 at the expense of Fe2O3 were described. The effect of LiInSi2O6/CaMgSi2O6 replacements was also investigated. The thermal treatment, the crystal phases, and the micro-structural properties of (LiFeSi2O6–CaMgSi2O6) glasses, replacing partial Fe2O3 with Al2O3 and partial CaMgSi2O6 with LiInSi2O6, have been studied by a differential thermal analysis, an X-ray diffraction, and a scanning electron microscopy. The glasses show the intense uniform bulkcrystallization with the fine grained microstructure by increasing the replacement of Al2O3/Fe2O3 and LiInSi2O6/CaMgSi2O6. The crystallizing phases of Ca(Fe,Mg)(SiO3)2, a-LiFe5O8, Li2SiO3, a-SiO2 and CaMgSi2O6 are mostly formed together, in most case, with Li0.6Al0.6Si2.4O6, β-eucryptite solid solution, LiInSi2O6, In2Si2O7, and LiFeSi2O6. The Al2O3 partial replacement increases the transformation temperature (Tg) and softening one (Ts) for the glasses and the glass-ceramics, and decreases the thermal expansion coefficient (a-value) for the glasses. The LiInSi2O6 partial replacement decreases Tg and Ts and increases the a-value for the glasses, while the Al2O3 and LiInSi2O6 partial replacements decrease the a-value for the glassceramics. The crystallization characters of the glasses are correlated to the internal structure, as well as role played by the glass-forming cations. However, the one of the glass-ceramics are mainly attributed to the crystalline phases formed in the material.