Investigating the vitrification processes, i.e. the physics underlying the formation of glass, can be decisive for promoting new developments in the field of materials science. This consideration has led an international research team to analyze a common feature of glass, called boson peak.
What is the boson peak?
The boson peak is observable in the glass through the use of equipment designed to study the vibration of its constituent atoms. It is a particular configuration of energy which gives mass to subatomic particles and, in the specific case of glass, attributes a characteristic heat capacity additional compared to crystals formed from the same material. The boson peak is therefore determined and intrinsic to the vitrification processes.
A research on vitrification
La Research, published in the journal Nature Communications, was conducted by a team of scientists from the United Kingdom, Slovenia and Japan by analyzing the modes of emergence of the boson peak in samples of tetrabutyl orthosilicate (TBOS), a viscous liquid used in the production of some types of glass .
Vitrification is a crucial physical process for multiple applications. It consists of transforming a liquid into a transparent solid, similar to glass, through a process that involves a phase of heating the liquid, followed by a sudden cooling to avoid the formation of crystals and maintain a disordered structure.
Vitrification, as anticipated, is used in numerous fields, includingglass industry, ceramics, the production of composite materials and the conservation of biological samples.
The choice of glass
Researchers have chosen to study the vitrification process of TBOS, because of its symmetrical molecular structure, which makes it easier to locate the boson peak. Using a range of observation techniques, including Raman spectroscopy, the team was able to observe the molecular process of vitrification: TBOS cools to form glass, but does not complete the crystallization process. In parallel with the experimental techniques, researchers performed computer simulations, correctly predicting the behavior of TBOS in the cooling phase and establishing a perfect correlation between models and experiments.
These models, despite their simplicity, guarantee us privileged access to the vitrification processes and could help us in the future to achieve stronger and safer glass.
Source: glassonline.com
