Calorimetric studies of crystallization for multi-component glasses of Se–Te–Sn–Ag (STSA) system using model-free and model-fitting non-isothermal methods

Abstract

Silver-containing chalcogenide glasses are well-known candidates for technical applications as well as for the fundamental studies. In the present report, we have studied the kinetics of glass/crystal phase transformation in novel synthesized glasses of STSA system. For this, purpose, differential scanning calorimetric technique has been employed at four different heating rates (5, 10, 15, 20 K min−1). This paper explores the thermal analysis of calorimetric data using both advanced iso-conversional methods for the determination of effective activation energy as a function of extent of crystallization and classical non-isothermal methods for the determination of over-all crystallization activation energy. Iso-conversional methods, such as Kissinger–Akahira–Sunose method and Flynn–Wall–Ozawa method, have been used to study the variation of activation energy of crystallization and other kinetic parameters with extent of crystallization. Non-isothermal methods (Kissinger method, Augis–Bennett method, and Matusita–Sakka method) have been used to determine over-all activation energy of crystallization and other significant parameter of thermally activated crystallization. We have also explained the composition dependence of various kinetic parameters.