Crystallization behavior of GeSb2Se4 chalcogenide glass

•DSC and XRD methodologies were used to study crystallization in GeSb2Se4 glass.•Crystallization kinetics was described in terms of JMA and AC models.•A novel concept describing the proceeding nucleation and crystal growth processes was suggested.•Crystallization kinetics of GeSb2Se4 and Ge2Sb2Se5 glasses were compared.

Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis were used to study crystallization in GeSb2Se4 glass under non-isothermal conditions in dependence on particle size. The crystallization kinetics was described in terms of the Johnson–Mehl–Avrami (JMA) and autocatalytic (AC) models. An extensive discussion of all aspects of a full-scale kinetic study of a crystallization process was undertaken — a novel concept describing the proceeding nucleation and crystal growth processes was suggested. Findings derived from the DSC data were further confirmed by XRD analysis, which allowed interconnection of the structural and kinetic information. Moreover, the XRD analysis was utilized to explain the marked difference in-between the crystallization kinetics of GeSb2Se4 and previously studied Ge2Sb2Se5 glasses.