Synthesis and characterization of low T _g As‐S‐I chalcohalide glass for processing of raw diamonds

Abstract As‐S‐I chalcohalide glass has been synthesized using elemental sulfur (S), arsenic (As), and iodine (I) in an evacuated sealed silica ampoule. DSC and dilatometry study revealed that the As‐S‐I glass has very low T _g of only about 50°C, deformation temperature of ~61°C, and high CTE ~68×10 ⁻⁶ K ⁻¹ (40‐60°C). Refractive index (n) has been found to vary in the range of 2.3‐2.4 which is close to the n value of diamond. When defective diamond pieces are embedded in such glasses, the defects within diamond become visible, enabling the optimized processing of diamonds to get maximum yields.