Spectroscopy study on the nucleation kinetics of ZrTiO4 in a lithium alumosilicate glass

•We study the nucleation of ZrTiO4 in a Li-alumosilicate glass by optical spectroscopy.•Increase in extinction correlates with increase in crystal volume fraction of ZrTiO4.•Steady state nucleation process of ZrTiO4 during early stage of heat treatment•Maximum number density of ZrTiO4 reaches up to 1023 crystals per m3.•Nucleation proceeds at a rate close to 1019 crystals per m3 and second.

The nucleation kinetics of zirconium titanate ZrTiO4 in a multi-component lithium alumosilicate (LAS) glass was quantified by analysis of spectroscopic data from the UV–Vis-region. Using Mie theory the scattering power of nano-sized ZrTiO4 crystals embedded in the glassy matrix as well as their absorptive properties were determined and separated from the individual absorbance of various dilute Fe- and Ti-species in nucleated LAS glasses. Extinction coefficients, elaborated with the assumption of constant crystal size (≈ 4 nm) revealed that the ZrTiO4 volume fraction reached its final value for a dwell time of ≈ 120 min at 1018 K. The power of the transformation rate (≈ 1.3) as analyzed by JAMK equation was attributed to a steady state crystal nucleation process. For a final crystal volume fraction of 1% ZrTiO4, the maximum number density Nv ≈ 3 × 1023 m− 3 and the stationary nucleation rate Iss ≈ 5 × 1019 m− 3 s− 1 was determined.