Asymmetric SiO[formula omitted] structural units modification by Li[formula omitted]O and their effect on optical and mechanical properties of soda lime silicate glasses

Abstract

The composition of 64SiO2 - 16Na2O - 12CaO - 2Al2O3 - (6 - x)MgO - xLi2O (x = 0, 2, 4 and 6) prepared by the melt quench technique to study the effect of Li2O on optical and mechanical properties. The X-ray diffraction spectra confirmed the amorphous nature of all the quenched samples. The density, hardness, and elastic modulus are found to be decreased with the addition of Li2O modifier instead of MgO. On the other hand, the brittleness, optical band gap, and transparency of the glasses are increased due to the conversion of bridging oxygens into non-bridging oxygens. Interestingly, the asymmetric structural units of SiO2 (Q3 and Q1) increased instead of Q2 with the replacement of MgO by Li2O. The highest transparency is observed with the highest content of Li2O (6 mol%). The transparency along with other properties are found to be either comparable or higher than the commercially available windshield glasses. Thus, these glasses can be used as windshield glass in automobiles.