Abstract
The effect of intensive electron radiation on viscous flow in silicate glasses is analysed and shown that it can result in a many orders of magnitude decrease of viscosity and stepwise decrease of activation energy of flow. Fluidisation or quasi-melting of glasses on intensive electron irradiation is caused by bond breaking via the radiation-chemical reaction ≡Si-O-Si≡ + e- → ≡Si-O + ≡Si + (e-)' which weakens the silicate glass network and leads to five-fold coordination of oxygens around the silicon. An explicit equation of viscosity was obtained for irradiated glasses as well as an equation for glass transition temperature. The assessments of temperature increase by electron radiation show that radiation-induced fluidisation of glasses can occur at minimal thermal effects. Radiation-induced fluidisation of glasses can result in nanoscale patterning effects caused by surface tension forces. Changes in the viscous flow behaviour are also important in conditions of long-term irradiation for glasses used in nuclear installations as well as for nuclear waste glasses.
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Acknowledgments
The authors are grateful to W. J. Weber for advises on thermal effects in thin films.
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Ojovan, M., Mobus, G. On radiation-induced fluidization (quasi-melting) of silicate glasses. MRS Online Proceedings Library 1193, 275 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1557/PROC-1193-275
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1557/PROC-1193-275