Bimodal distribution of filler on viscosity and thermal expansion of glass composites

This paper investigates the bimodal oxide filler system to study the viscous behavior and thermal expansion properties of glass composites. Zinc oxide and cordierite, which are two types of filler, with different average diameters (10 μm and 1 μm, respectively), were considered in a Bi2O3 containing glass with various volume fractions (up to 40 vol%). The experimental results for the composites with the bimodal filler distribution show a reduced viscosity. The viscosity increased from fine particles to coarse particles with an increase in the volume fraction of the composite. Both viscosity and coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) decreased significantly in the composite with the cordierite filler. The CTE is determined from the volume fraction with respect to particle size and distribution. On the other hand, viscosity is dependent on the particle distribution, particle size, and volume fraction of the composite.