Infrared (IR) investigation of the structural changes of silica glasses with fictive temperature

Effects of fictive temperatures on the structure of silica glass were investigated using infrared (IR) spectroscopy. From the IR peak positions of the three fundamental structural bands (asymmetric stretching, bending, and rocking vibrations), the average values of the silica structural parameters - central force constant, α, non-central force constant, β, and Si-O-Si bond angle, θ - were obtained. It was found that the Si-O-Si bond angle and the non-central force constant decreased, while the central force constant increased with increasing fictive temperature.