In situ high-temperature X-ray study of ZnO–TeO2 glass crystallization under ultrasonic treatment

The crystallization behavior of xZnO · 100 − xTeO2 (x = 20−30 mol%) glasses after ultrasonic treatment in an alcohol suspension of ZnO particles was investigated using in situ high-temperature X-ray diffraction experiments in an ultra-fast measurement system. The ultrasonic treatment strongly affected the first and second crystallization temperatures of a 20ZnO · 80TeO2 glass (α-TeO2 and Zn2Te3O8 crystallizations, respectively). An unstable phase, ZnTeO3 typically seen in non-treated glasses, was not observed after the ultrasonic treatment. The first crystallization temperature of a 30ZnO · 70TeO2 glass was only slightly affected by the ultrasonic treatment. The ultrasonic treatment is assumed to promote the formation of the nucleus with the Zn2Te3O8-like atomic order through rearrangements of Zn atoms during crystallization process.