Crystallization and structural evolution of YF3–SiO2 xerogel

YF3–SiO2 glass-ceramic was prepared by sol–gel method for the first time. When the xerogel was heat-treated to 400 °C, YF3 crystallites sized around 5 nm were precipitated from the silica matrix and aggregated together to form 50–100 nm congeries particles. With further increasing of the temperature, YF3 crystallites tended to separate from the congeries with their sizes unchanged, resulting finally in a homogeneous distribution among the glassy matrix. The crystallization activation energy of YF3 was evaluated to be 129 and 139 kJ/mol by Kissinger's method and Chen's method through non-isothermal experiments, respectively, implying that the crystallization is controlled by long-range atomic diffusion. The evolution of textural properties of YF3–SiO2 glass ceramics with temperature was also investigated mainly through N2 adsorption experiments.