Effect of CeO2 content on the crystalline growth and hydrophobic properties of borophosphate glass enamel

The effect of the CeO2 doped in 60P2O5–9B2O3–21ZnO glasses on the crystallization kinetics and hydrophobic properties was investigated. The kinetic parameters, activation energy for crystallization (Ec), and Avrami constant (n) were evaluated under non-isothermal conditions using differential thermal analysis (DTA) performed for a range of heating rates. Each DTA curve exhibited one exothermic peak associated with the crystallization of the glass. X-ray diffractometry (XRD) analysis identified the crystalline phase as BPO4 and CePO4. The calculated values of the activation energies for the glass samples were obtained using the Kissinger and the Marotta methods. The hydrophobic properties as a function of the CeO2 content were identified by water contact angle goniometer. The results indicated that the water contact angle increased as the doped of CeO2. However, as crystallization progressed within the glass samples, the water contact angles decreased.