Crystallization and structural evolution of YF3-SiO2 xerogel

YF3-SiO2 glass-ceramic was prepared by sol-gel method for the first time. When the xerogel was heat-treated to 400 °C, YF3 crystallites sized around 5 nm were precipitated from the silica matrix and aggregated together to form 50-100 nm congeries particles. With further increasing of the temperature, YF3 crystallites tended to separate from the congeries with their sizes unchanged, resulting finally in a homogeneous distribution among the glassy matrix. The crystallization activation energy of YF3 was evaluated to be 129 and 139 kJ/mol by Kissingerʹs method and Chenʹs method through non-isothermal experiments, respectively, implying that the crystallization is controlled by long-range atomic diffusion. The evolution of textural properties of YF3-SiO2 glass ceramics with temperature was also investigated mainly through N2 adsorption experiments.