Solubility of tin dioxide in soda-lime silicate melts

In the present work, the solubility of tin dioxide is assessed as a function of time, temperature and basicity in simple ternary glasses: NC3S, NC4S, NC5S and NC6S (N: Na2O, C: CaO, S: SiO2). An increase of silica contents in the glass composition leads indeed to a decrease of the glass basicity. First, a kinetic study of the dissolution has been performed. Consequently, the solubility limits of tin dioxide have been determined after 2 h of heat treatment: this duration is long enough to reach the dissolution equilibrium, and short enough to limit the sodium oxide losses in the melt at high temperatures. Nevertheless the specific case of the most acid glass has been underlined, as its higher viscosity implies longer heating times. At equilibrium state, SnO2 solubility depends on the temperature (Arrhenius law) and on the glass basicity. In the 1200 °C–1400 °C temperature range, in these soda–lime glasses, the solubility of tin dioxide is between 1.3 and 2.1 at.% Sn and the temperature dependence of solubility exhibits a single mechanism of dissolution. Furthermore, the basicity dependence of the solubilization process is also discussed, and the presence of another oxidation state of tin (SnII) is thus proposed.