Formation and crystallization of chlorine- and bromine-containing hafnium fluoride-based glasses

We have studied glass-forming regions for ZBLAN-type hafnium fluoride-based glasses with the compositions (63–53)HfF4 · 20BaF2 · 4LaF3 · (1–3)InF3 · (0–20)NaF in which fluorine anions are partially replaced by chlorine and bromine anions. The crystallization mechanism of the glasses has been investigated by differential thermal analysis and X-ray diffraction. The results demonstrate that characteristic features of the glasses are a significant decrease in glass transition temperature (t g) and the precipitation of fine-particle crystalline chloride and bromide phases at temperatures well below the crystallization temperature (t x) of their fluoride analogs. We have studied the effect of the Cl/F and Cl/Br ratios in the glass batch and the melt cooling rate after glass preparation on the crystallization behavior of the glasses and determined the heat treatment temperature and time for the formation of transparent glass-ceramic samples upon heat treatment in the temperature range where chloride and bromide phases precipitate. Doping of the glasses with 1 at % or smaller amounts of rare-earth metals is found to have no significant effect on the phase segregation process during heat treatment.