SGER: Thermochemical/Thermophysical Aspects of the Float-Glass Process as Applied to Glass-Ceramic and Other Complex, High-Temperature Aluminosilicate Melts

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Abstract - Cooper - 9707934 Application of the float process technique to the fabrication of defect-free flat panels of complex-composition aluminosilicate glass and glass-ceramic melts requires a fundamental understanding of the thermodynamics and kinetics of reactions between the complex silicate and the molten metal or metal alloy upon which it is poured. The PI plans to study the reactions and kinetic mechanisms of silicate melt reduction, metal-float-medium oxidation and the consequent chemical diffusion between the metal and silicate media that are the thermochemical/thermophysical bases of the float process. The study is designed to identify the optimal chemical approach to successfully floating a complex silicate melt that incorporates a significant amount of a transition metal oxide in its composition. The experimental study will scrutinize the chemical dynamics of a magnesium aluminosilicate (MAS) melt and its transition metal cation-doped derivatives in contact with molten tin and tin alloys. Specifically, the base MAS composition to be studied is 1MgO-1Al2O3-4SiO2 (molar basis), which is a fully polymerized melt; transition metal cations to be substituted (doped-in; initially at approximately a 5-cation mol.% level) are Fe2+-Fe3+ in one case and Ti4+ in another. The reactions of the glass melt with the pure metal and metal alloy(s) will be characterized both with ion backscattering spectroscopy as well as with energy- and wavelength-dispersive x-ray spectroscopies via an electron probe. The project is being funded under the Small Grants for Exploratory Research program.