Physical properties of silicate glasses doped with SnO2

Abstract The presence of tin in the network of silicate glasses produces changes in several of their physico-chemical properties. Glasses with the composition (mol%) 22Na2O · 8CaO · 70SiO2 containing up to 5 wt% of SnO2 were analyzed under several experimental techniques. Dilatometric measurements showed an increase of the glass transition temperature with increasing tin content, while the average thermal expansion coefficient is reduced. Vickers microhardness, density, and refractive index also increase with the tin content. Diffuse reflectance spectra in the infrared (DRIFT) showed that the presence of tin, even at low concentrations, is responsible for some structural changes since there is an increase of the bridging oxygen concentration. The doped glasses present a brown color and optical absorption spectra measurements are interpreted as being due to precipitation of tin in the form of colloidal particles during cooling of the melted glass. In the Na+ ↔ K+ ion exchange process the presence of tin in the glass network hinders the diffusion of these ions. The diffusion coefficients of those ions were calculated by the Boltzmann–Matano technique, after concentration profiles obtained by EDS measurements. All results obtained present evidences that Sn4+ cation acts as a glass network former.