A Comparative Overview of Glass-Ceramic Characterization by MAS-NMR and XRD

Glass-ceramics are polycrystalline materials formed by controlled crystallization of parent glasses, which can be studied complementarily by XRD and NMR. XRD probes long-range order, while NMR is more element specific and probes the immediate environment around the atoms. These techniques allow considerable insights into the crystalline and amorphous constituents of glass-ceramics. In this article, we highlight some key issues in the characterization of glass-ceramics: phase identification and quantification, and structural characterization of the residual glass. The application of both NMR and XRD techniques are considered in these areas and their advantages and limitations discussed using our recent work and examples from the literature.