In situ high temperature 27Al NMR study of structure and dynamics in a calcium aluminosilicate glass and melt

The temperature dependence (25-1400 degrees C of Al-27 NMR spectra and spin-lattice relaxation time constants T, have been studied for a calcium aluminosilicate (43.1CaO-12.5Al(2)O(3)-44.4SiO(2)) glass and melt using an in situ high temperature probe, and the glass has been characterized by ambient temperature, high field MAS NMR. The peak positions and the line widths show a consistent behavior as motional averaging of the quadrupolar satellites increases with increasing temperature. The rate of decrease with temperature of T, drastically increases near the glass transition temperature T, which suggests a change in NMR relaxation process from vibrational to translational motions. Above the T, minimum ( approximate to 1200 degrees C, NMR correlation times obtained from T, are in good agreement with shear relaxation times estimated from viscosity, suggesting that microscopic nuclear spin relaxation is controlled by the same dynamics as macroscopic structural relaxation, and thus that atomic-scale motion is closely related to macroscopic viscous flow. (c) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.