Preparation of chemically strengthened glass with varying B ₂ O ₃ /SiO ₂ ratios using spodumene mineral residue

Abstract This study pioneers the use of spodumene mineral residue as a primary raw material for producing chemically strengthened glass, addressing concerns related to sustainable waste management. The resulting glasses achieve over 90% transparency at 550 nm, with compressive stress exceeding 1000 MPa and Vickers hardness surpassing 6.6 GPa. As the B ₂ O ₃ /SiO ₂ ratio increases, the depth of the compressive stress layer (DOL) of the samples shows a trend of initially decreasing and then stabilizing (DOL: 16–24 µm). The compressive stress (CS) of all samples >1000 MPa. Analysis reveals that [BO ₄ ] units hinder ion exchanges while [BO ₃ ] promote strengthening. Furthermore, as the B ₂ O ₃ /SiO ₂ ratio increases, the refractive index rises, thermal stability decreases, and density initially increases before decreasing, while the trend for molar volume is opposite to that of density. This study provides a potential application solution for the treatment of spodumene mineral residue, promoting green and circular economic development.