A study of the glass formation and crystallization in the mixed fluorozirconate–phosphate systems ZrF4–BaF2(SnF2)–NaPO3

Abstract Fluorozirconate–phosphate glasses in the ZrF 4 –BaF 2 (SnF 2 )–NaPO 3 and 53ZrF 4 –30BaF 2 –(17 − x )NaPO 3 – x MF 3 systems (M = Ga, In, Bi; 1 ≤ x ≤ 5) have been prepared and characterized by differential thermal analysis (DTA), 19 F nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), 19 F and 31 P magic-angle spinning (MAS) NMR, small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). It was shown that glasses consisted of fluorozirconate and phosphate subsystems, which coexisted independently. The additives of metal trifluorides MF 3 do not virtually affect thermal characteristics of fluorozirconate subsystem but decrease gradually the crystallization temperature (T c2 ) of phosphate subsystem According to the SAXS and TEM data, the fluorozirconate–phosphate glasses have the globular structure with the particles size of 50–560 A. Mixed fluorozirconate–phosphate glasses can be considered as precursors for obtaining new functional materials.