Recent developments of phosphate glasses for a variety of technological applications, from rare-earth ion hosts for solid state lasers to low temperature sealing glasses, have led to renewed interest in understanding the structures of these unusual materials. In this review, spectroscopic and diffraction studies of simple phosphate glasses, including v-P2O5 and binary phosphate compositions, are described. Special attention is given to the structures of anhydrous ultraphosphate glasses, which have received close attention from the glass community only in the past six years.

Review: the structure of simple phosphate glasses

The infrared reflectance spectra of lithium borate glasses (0–73 mol% Li 2 O) have been measured over a broad and continuous spectral range (30–4000 cm −1 ) in an attempt to study systematically their structure. The reflectance data have been analyzed by Kramers-Kronig inversion to obtain the optical and dielectric properties of the materials. The study of the deconvoluted mid-infrared spectra has revealed a glass network built up of various boron-oxygen groups, with structure and concentration strongly dependent on the Li 2 O content. Of particular interest was the far-infrared asymmetric absorption profile, which could be well simulated by two broad bands attributed to vibrations of lithium cations in two distinct network environments. The presence of these two Li + -host site distributions was found to be independent of the details of the borate network structure and has been taken to imply a more general characteristics of ionic conducting oxide glasses.

Infrared reflectance spectra of lithium borate glasses

The structure of silicate melts: Implications for chemical and physical properties of natural magma

31 P magic angle spinning nuclear magnetic resonance (MAS-NMR) spectroscopy and Raman spectroscopy have been used to examine the polyhedral arrangements in x ZnO · (1 − x )P 2 O 5 (0.50 ≤ x ≤ 0.71) glasses. The depolymerization of P metaphosphate chains by the addition of ZnO is quantitatively described by the increase in the concentration of Q 1 -phosphate sites, determined from the 31 P MAS-NMR spectra. When x > 0.60, the NMR and Raman spectra exhibit peaks due to Q 0 and Q 2 tetrahedra, indicating that structures disproportionate in glass melts near the pyrophosphate composition. The splitting of the Raman peak due to the Q 1 terminal oxygen stretching mode indicates that a variety of P-O-Zn bonds participate in the polyphosphate glass structure. The complex mixture of P and Zn polyhedra contributes to the glass-forming tendency of the high ZnO (> 60 mol%) compositions.

The short-range structure of zinc polyphosphate glass

Infrared absorption spectra of sodium phosphate glasses, Na2O=30–50 mol%, have been studied in the region of 400–2000 cm−1. Spectra were analyzed to determine the relative intensity of the IR bands responsible for the different phosphate units. Spectral analyses has shown that the substitution of P2O5 by Na2O influences the intermediate range order of the glass matrix. Increasing Na2O content leads to a gradual degradation of the phosphate ring type structures, with consequent depolymerization causing compaction of the glass matrix. Analyses of IR spectra illustrates the reorganization effects of Na2O in the phosphate matrix.

Infrared spectra of sodium phosphate glasses

Thirty different binary metal oxide glasses having the metaphosphate composition have been prepared containing cations from the following groups: alkali metals, alkaline earths, transition metals, and lanthanide and actinide metals. Far infrared absorption assigned to the cation vibration in its oxygen cage has been measured for these glasses. Empirical ionic models are proposed correlating the absorption maximum with the cation mass, charge, and ionic radius. Discrepancies between the observed and predicted vibrational frequency indicate a more covalent interaction between the metal cation and the glass network. Raman intensities and vibrational frequencies of the network metaphosphate vibrations have been obtained and provide additional evidence about the cation–site interaction.

B. N. Nelson

Papers

Vibrational spectroscopy of cation‐site interactions in phosphate glasses

Infrared studies of glass films exposed to ammonia, phosphine, and hydrogen sulfide

Vibrational spectroscopy of cation-site interactions in phosphate glasses

Infrared studies of glass films exposed to ammonia, phosphine, and hydrogen sulfide