Glass formation in the Sb2O3-ZnBr2 binary system

Glass formation has been investigated in the Sb2O 3-ZnBr2 binary system. Vitreous samples have been obtained for batches containing 20-90mol% Sb2O3. Chemical analysis shows that bromine concentration is smaller than expected and real compositions belong to the Sb2O3-ZnBr2-ZnO ternary system. However, the discrepancy between nominal and analyzed compositions is fair for Sb2O3 content larger than 50mol%. Optical transmission lies between 400 nm and 7 μm and refractive index ranges from 2.0 to 2.1. Glass transition occurs around 300 °C, and crystallization exotherm does not appear in the differential scanning calorimetry scan at 10 K s-1 for samples containing 50-60mol% Sb 2O3. Thermal expansion varies between 120 and 220×10-7K-1 as antimony content decreases. Microhardness is close to 200 kg/mm2. These glasses have low phonon energy and make potential materials for infrared transmission and active fibers. © 2003 Published by Elsevier Ltd.