First time microwave synthesis of As40Se60 chalcogenide glass

Arsenic sulfide and arsenic selenide glasses, batched from elemental precursors in stoichiometric proportions, are synthesised in ≤ 35 min via microwave heating in a domestic microwave oven (DMO). The DMO products are compared with the stoichiometric glasses made by conventional resistive furnace melting using: X-ray diffraction (XRD); transmission electron microscopy with selected area electron diffraction (TEM-SAED); analytical scanning electron microscopy; optical microscopy; differential thermal analysis (DTA); and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. From XRD and TEM-SAED, only part of the DMO As–S product is amorphous and exhibits up to three DTA glass transitions (Tgs) showing that homogenisation has not taken place. In contrast, As40Se60 glass is readily prepared in the DMO and has similar properties to conventionally melted As40Se60 glass. Furthermore, the DMO As40Se60 glass can be patterned using hot embossing and drawn to fibre.