Mechanical properties of spinel (MgCr2O4) phase containing alumino-silicate glass-ceramic

This research study explores the addition of chromium (Cr6+) ions as a nucleating agent in the alumino-silicate-glass (ASG) system (i.e., Al2O3-SiO2-MgO-B2O3-K2O-F). The important feature of this study is the induction of nucleation/crystallization in the base glass matrix on addition of Cr6+ content under annealing heat treatment (600 ± 10 °C) only. The melt-quenched glass is found to be amorphous, which in the presence of Cr6+ ions became crystalline with a predominant crystalline phase, Spinel (MgCr2O4). Microstructural experiment revealed the development of 200–500 nm crystallite particles in Cr6+-doped glass-ceramic matrix, and such type microstructure governed the mechanical properties. The machinability of the Cr-doped glass-ceramic was thereby higher compared to base alumino-silicate glass (ASG). From the nano-indentation experiment, the Young’s modulus was estimated 25(±10) GPa for base glass and increased to 894(±21) GPa for Cr-doped glass ceramics. Similarly, the microhardness for the base glass was 0.6(±0.5) GPa (nano-indentation measurements) and 3.63(±0.18) GPa (micro-indentation measurements). And that found increased to 8.4(±2.3) (nano-indentation measurements) and 3.94(±0.20) GPa (micro-indentation measurements) for Cr-containing glass ceramic.