Effect of ZrO2 on crystallization of CaO-P2O5-SiO2 glasses

Abstract The influence of ZrO 2 content on the crystallization mechanisms of CaO–P 2 O 5 –SiO 2 biological glasses was investigated by DTA, XRD and SEM. Kinetic parameters such as the crystallization activation energy ( E ) and the crystal growth index ( n ) have also been evaluated according to the JMA equation. In the studied glass system, the larger the ZrO 2 content, the lower the crystallization peak temperature, T p . Nevertheless the high value of T p did not mean a large E value. The most effective addition of ZrO 2 in the CaO–P 2 O 5 –SiO 2 glasses was about 5.7 wt.%. The difference of E between the base glass (no ZrO 2 added) and the glass containing the most effective addition of ZrO 2 was about 100 kJ/mol, suggesting that ZrO 2 could promote the crystallization effectively.