Structural and optical properties of agro-food wastes derived glasses synthesized in two different crucibles

In the present work, similar composition of glasses are melted in two different crucibles i.e., alumina and Pt-Rh. Both glasses are synthesized using corn husk ash, sugar cane leaves ash and egg shell powder via melt quench method. The as-prepared samples are characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive spectroscopy, Fourier transforms infrared spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and UV-visible spectroscopy to study their structural, elemental composition and optical properties, respectively. The results revealed that glasses synthesized in a platinum crucible have a different optical band gap, refractive index and Urbach energy than glasses synthesized in an alumina crucible. These changes are associated with the alumina picked up by glass that were melted in an alumina crucible. Copyright (C) 2022 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

In this study, glasses with similar composition were synthesized in two different crucibles, alumina and Pt-Rh. The structural, elemental composition, and optical properties of the prepared samples were characterized. The results showed that glasses melted in a platinum crucible exhibited different optical properties compared to glasses melted in an alumina crucible, which can be attributed to the alumina contamination from the crucible material.