Role of zinc sulfate on thermal and mechanical properties of borovanadate glasses

Zinc sulfate doped boro-vanadate glasses have been synthesized using melt quenching method. Amorphous character of glasses is verified by X-ray diffraction studies. Scanning electron micrograph reveals good homogeneous glass formation but consists of SO42- nano clusters randomly distributed in the amorphous tissue. Glass transition temperature estimated from differential scanning calorimetric studies vary with glass composition. Ultrasound velocities, elastic moduli and Debye temperature decrease whereas Poisson's ratio increase with ZnSO4 content. This occurs due to reduced network connectivities and weakening of the glass network. The above studies suggest that ZnSO4 do not participate in network formation but dissolves isotropically which results in volume expansion and loose packing of network structure. FTIR studies reveal presence of [B2V2O9](2)-(type I and II), [BO3/2](0) and [VOO3/2](0) structural units which are characteristic of modified boro-vanadate glasses. (C) 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

Zinc sulfate doped boro-vanadate glasses were successfully synthesized using the melt quenching method. The glass's amorphous nature and uniformity were verified through X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy. The physical properties of the glass were affected by the zinc sulfate content, with decreased ultrasound velocities, elastic moduli, and Debye temperature, and increased Poisson's ratio. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy analysis revealed the presence of specific structural units in the glass.