Effect of dehydroxylation on the structure and properties of ZnCl 2–ZnO–P 2O 5 glasses

Abstract

The hydroxyl content in phosphate glass has a significant influence on its properties. This research investigated the effect of dehydroxylation on the structure and properties of ZnCl 2–ZnO–P 2O 5 glasses. The substitution of ZnCl 2 for ZnO reduces the hydroxyl content and increases the phosphate chain length thus improving the chemical durability and UV transmittance of the glass. The structural changes with the glass composition were gauged by FTIR and 31P MAS-NMR spectroscopies. The FTIR and 31P MAS-NMR spectra indicated that the Q 2 structural units increase with increasing ZnCl 2 content in the xZnCl 2–(50 − x)ZnO–50P 2O 5 glass system.