New Methods for Studying Glass Corrosion Kinetics

Infrared reflection spectroscopy and atomic emission spectroscopy have been applied to the study of glass corrosion using several new techniques that permit the kinetics of reactions near the surface to be measured on bulk samples as a function of applied stress, flow rate, temperature, time, pH, and relative humidity. Preliminary applications of these methods to the corrosion of a Li 2 O-2SiO 2 glass are discussed. These new methods of studying the corrosion kinetics of glass under well defined conditions promise to aid in a better understanding of the nature of the reactions which take place at glass surfaces when subjected to various corrosive environments.