Crystallisation and characterisation of dielectric glass ceramics in Li2O–Al2O3–SiO2 system

Abstract

Glass ceramics in the Li2O–Al2O3–SiO2 system have been synthesised to produce bulk materials grown in a glass phase via quenching followed by controlled crystallisation. The crystallisation and microstructure of Li2O–Al2O3–SiO2 (LAS) glass–ceramic with nucleating agents (B2O3 and/or P2O5) are investigated by differential thermal analysis, X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy and the effects of B2O3 and P2O5 on the crystallisation of LAS glass are also analysed. The introduction of both B2O3 and P2O5 promotes the crystallisation of LAS glass by decreasing the crystallisation temperature and adjusting the crystallisation kinetic parameters, allows a direct formation of β spodumene phase and as a result, increases the crystallinity of the LAS glass ceramic. Microstructural observations show that the randomly oriented, nanometre sized crystalline is found with residual glass concentrated at crystallite boundaries. Furthermore, it is interesting that codoping of B2O3 and P2O5 creates not much effect on the crystallisation temperature. The dielectric properties of the glass–ceramics formed through controlled crystallisation have a strong dependence on the phases that are developed during heat treatment. The dielectric constant is continuously increased and the dielectric loss is decreased with addition of additives where mobile alkali metal ions (e.g. Li+) are incorporated in a crystal phase and minimise the residual glass phase.