Effect of water on topological constraints in silica glass

A fundamental understanding of how water interacts with glass is valuable for many practical concerns due to the myriad effects of water on glass properties. Topological constraint theory, which has been shown in prior studies to be an excellent model for various thermomechanical properties, is expanded herein to account for strain on the glass network, in this application due to unbonded interstitial species. Literature T-g data have been collected for silicate glasses containing various alkali and water contents and an expanded constraint theory model has been successfully applied to describe the effects of water on the glass transition temperature. (C) 2018 Acta Materialia Inc. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.