Cerium influence on the thermal properties and structure of high-alkaline borosilicate glasses

Abstract

The influence of cerium oxide on the thermal properties and the glass structure has been studied for the Li2O–(Na2O–K2O)–B2O3–SiO2 system. It has been established that cerium is completely soluble in the quenched glass during the synthesis if addition of CeO2 is 0–10 mol%. The cubic ceria phase is formed in glass either during the synthesis if addition of CeO2 is 20 mol% or after thermal treatment (annealing) if the glass contains 10–20 mol% of CeO2. The studied lithium borosilicate glasses have low thermal stability and demonstrate significant difference in the crystal phase formation for Ce-free and Ce-containing glasses after annealing. The lithium–sodium and lithium–potassium glasses have much higher thermal stability toward crystallization regardless of Ce content. The obtained results are relevant for improving the properties of matrix materials of similar borosilicate systems used for immobilization of radioactive waste.