Time resolved alteration process of oxide glasses

Dissolution of oxide glasses by water has been studied by small angles X-ray scattering. It is shown that the altered residual surface layer due to dissolution and recondensation of Si atoms is a porous material with nanometer size pores. Based on five elements oxide glass (18NaO2-17B2O3-4CaO-yZrO2-(61−y)SiO2 with y=0, 1, 2, 4 and 8) the experiment highlights a strong influence of insoluble element on both the kinetic of alteration and the structure of the altered layer. It is shown that above 2% Zr content, the fraction of porous volume and the surface of exchange in the altered layer pass through a maximum value in the first hours of alteration corresponding to an overshoot of Si lixiviation without recondensation as the saturation limit is not reached. When the saturation limit is reached the porous volume fraction is just below the fraction of volume occupied primarily by the sodium and the boron.