Design and control of crystallization in oxide glasses

• The crystallization of oxide glasses was reviewed.
• The basic approach for its design and control was proposed.
• The category of crystallization was discussed.
• The features of laser-induced crystallization were discussed.
• The characteristics of some glass-ceramics were discussed.

Crystallization of oxide glasses has a long history since the first proposal by Stookey in the 1950s, and nowadays various glass-ceramics (crystallized glasses) having potential for practical applications have been reported. There has been great progress in the field of the crystallization of glasses such as the relationship between glass composition and crystalline phase. Because crystal nucleation and growth start from atomic rearrangements in the nanometer scale (i.e., nano-scale) level, information on the nano-scale glass structure is very important for an understanding of the crystallization mechanism and thus for the design and control of crystalline phase and morphology. In this article, we review the basic concept of the oxide glass structure related to crystallization, the basic scenario and typical types of glass crystallization, and features of laser-induced crystallization. The design and control of crystal morphologies and glass-ceramic properties are also reviewed with some examples. The crystallization processing of glasses is becoming more and more important as a novel technique for the development of new functional glass/crystal hybrid materials and also as an approach for a deep understanding of the nano-scale heterogeneous structure of glasses.