Raman Studies of the Phase Separation Mechanism of CaO-Al2O3-SiO2 Glasses in an Electric Field

The effects of an electric field on phase separation in CaO-Al2O3-SiO2 (CAS) has been studied by Raman spectroscopy. It was discovered that an electric field can promote the process of phase separation in CAS glasses. The droplet phase is the enriched section for Ti^4+ and Ca^2+ ions. The continuous matrix is the enriched section for Si^4+. The results of Raman spectroscopy indicate that the electric-field treatment can increase the concentrations of Q^[2] and Q^[4] in CAS glasses and that increase in concentration near the cathode is higher than that near the anode. The increase in Q[2] and Q^[4] units is due to the increase of the concentration of O(f) and O(b). On the basis of experimental results, the mechanism of phase separation of CAS glass in an electric field has been proposed.