Structural investigations of the xZnCl2–(1−x)AlCl3 glass-forming system: a Raman spectroscopic study

Abstract We report on a temperature-dependence Raman scattering study of the binary glass-forming (halide) system x ZnCl 2 –(1− x )AlCl 3 for various compositions ( x =1, 0.9, 0.8, 0.6, 0.4, 0.2, 0.1, and 0 mol fraction). The elucidation of the structure of these glasses and liquids is attempted in order to clarify the structural modifications that the addition of AlCl 3 brings about to the tetrahedral ZnCl 2 structure. The analysis has shown that the vibrational modes of the mixtures arise from a superposition of the vibrational modes of the pure component salts. Emphasis is given on both the temperature-induced changes of the intermolecular and intramolecular vibrational modes.