Preparation and characterization of boro-tellurite glasses

Glass samples of the system: xB2O3−(100−x) TeO2; x= 15, 20, 25 and 30 mol% were prepared by melt quenching and characterized by X-ray diffraction, density measurements, Differential Scanning Calorimetry and FTIR spectroscopy. XRD confirmed the amorphous structure of all samples. Density of glasses decreased with increase in B2O3 concentration due to the replacement of heavier TeO2 with lighter B2O3 whereas the glass transition temperature increased from 339°C to 366°C; the later effect was due to increase in the concentration of stronger B-O bonds in the glass network. FTIR studies found that BO4 units convert into BO3 with the addition of B2O3.