Effects of MO (MBa, Mg, Ca) on the crystallization of B2O3–Al2O3–SiO2 glass-ceramics

The effects of MO (MBa, Mg, Ca) on the crystallization of B2O3–Al2O3–SiO2 glass-ceramics were investigated by means of differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and dilatometer. MO can effectively facilitate the formation of B2O3–Al2O3–SiO2 glass which is influenced by the ratio of B2O3/SiO2, and the crystallization capacity of the glass turns to weaker with the decreasing of B2O3/SiO2 ratio. The main crystal phase is Al4B2O9 when the glass is heat-treated at 800 °C, and Al4B2O9 phase could transfer into Al18B4O33 with the heat-treated temperature increasing to 1100 °C. The calculation of crystallization activation energy (E) shows that crystallinity follows the order of CaO < MgO < BaO, and the Avrami parameter n is higher than 4, which indicate the crystallization of B2O3–Al2O3–SiO2 glass to be bulk nucleation with three-dimensional crystal growth. The addition of MO has evident effects on the main crystalline phase and the morphology of the crystals.