Aqueous corrosion studies of a fluorozirconate glass

Abstract The effects of aqueous corrosion on a fluorozirconate glass containing ZrF 4 , BaF 2 , AlF 3 , LaF 3 and LiF were investigated using soaking solution analysis, infrared transmission and reflectance spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy. The dissolution of the glass was nearly congruent. The leached surface of the glass was covered with hydroxide crystals of Zr and Ba. The outer leached layer was thick, highly hydrated and cracked while the glass below was also hydrated and cracked indicating that no protective surface layer was formed. Drying studies of leached samples showed the appearance of an infrared absorptance peak at 7 μm (1440 cm −1 ) caused by bridging oxygen bonds formed during dehydration.