Glassy state and structure of Sn–Sb–Se chalcogenide alloy

The effect of Sn addition on the glass transition and structure of c-Sb20Se80 chalcogenide alloy have been studied by X-ray diffraction and differential scanning calorimetric studies. The increase in the glass forming region and the glass transition temperature with the addition of Sn is discussed by considering the formation of [SnSe4] tetrahedra, another type of network former, which inhibits the crystallization. The differential scanning calorimetric studies on SnxSb20Se80−x (8 ⩽ x ⩽ 18) glassy samples reveal a single glass transition temperature for all values of x while a single crystallization peak was obtained only for 10 ⩽ x < 12. The X-ray diffraction studies reveal that the glass crystallizes to Sb2Se3 and SnSe2 phases upon annealing. The glass formation and composition dependence of glass transition temperature in the Sn–Sb–Se chalcogenide alloy could be understood by considering the topological phase transitions and a chemically ordered network model.