Kinetic parameters of crystallization in glassy Se_100–xSb_x alloys

Abstract Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) has been performed at different heating rates under non‐isothermal conditions to study the crystallization kinetics of glassy Se_100–xSb_x (2 ≤ x ≤ 10) alloys. The crystallization kinetics have been studied using four different methods of analysis of the non‐isothermal DSC data and various kinetic parameters (the activation energy of crystallization, order parameter, rate constant and frequency factor) have been determined. The difference T_c – T_g (indicator of thermal stability) has been determined from the DSC thermograms for each sample. The rate constant K (indicator of the rate of amorphous to crystalline phase transformation) has been evaluated using the method of Augis and Bennett. The increasing sequence of the rate constant in the glasses studied is opposite to that of T_c – T_g. This indicates that chalcogenide glasses having a higher rate of crystallization have less thermal stability. (© 2006 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)