Kinetics of alkali ion exchange of irradiated glasses

Abstract

ABSTRACTThe kinetics of alkali ion exchange of irradiated glasses were investigated using the structural energy barrier model for ion exchange of glasses. Derived rates of alkali ion exchange depend both on irradiation dose D(Gy) and dose rate q(Gy/s) illustrating that some effects cannot be simulated by external irradiation and require in-situ measurements. Higher D and q lead to increased ion exchange rates. Significant changes occur in the activation energies demonstrating a 4 – 6 times decrease depending on glass composition. Radiation-induced changes are higher at relatively low temperatures and are diminished by increased glass temperature. Numerical estimations show that changes in alkali ion exchange kinetics occur at D far below damaging doses.