White-beam X-ray diffraction and radiography studies on high-boron-containing borosilicate glass at high pressures

Abstract

ABSTRACT Multi-angle energy-dispersive X-ray diffraction studies and white-beam X-ray radiography were conducted with a cylindrically shaped (1 mm diameter and 0.7 mm high) high-boron-content borosilicate glass sample (17.6% B2O3) to a pressure of 13.7 GPa using a Paris-Edinburgh (PE) press at Beamline 16-BM-B, HPCAT of the Advanced Photon Source. The measured structure factor S(q) to large q = 19 Å−1 is used to determine information about the internuclear bond distances between various species of atoms within the glass sample. Sample pressure was determined with gold as a pressure standard. The sample height as measured by radiography showed an overall uniaxial compression of 22.5% at 13.7 GPa with 10.6% permanent compaction after decompression to ambient conditions. The reduced pair distribution function G(r) was extracted and Si–O, O–O and Si–Si bond distances were measured as a function of pressure. Raman spectroscopy of the pressure recovered sample as compared to starting material showed blue-shift and changes in intensity and widths of Raman bands associated with silicate and four-coordinated boron.