Chromium oxide additions in lithium disilicate glass crystallization

The effect of chromium oxide additions (0.05-1.00 mol% interval) on the crystallization of an original 26Li2O·74SiO2 glass (mol%) formulated in the liquid metastable immiscibility dome of the binary system has been investigated by XRD and TEM-replica electron microscopy. Results were discussed by considering the phases that can be formed in the Li2O-Cr2O3-SiO2 partial equilibrium ternary diagram. From these glasses, lithium disilicate is the main crystalline phase after thermal treatments at 550-650 °C. Maximum crystallization is obtained with the lowest content addition of Cr2O3 (0.05 mol%). Glass-in-glass phase separation was observed in these glasses coexisting with the crystallization areas.