Abstract
Chalcogenide glasses of (As50Se50)100−xAgx (0 ≤ x ≤ 25) were prepared using the melt quenching technique under non-isothermal conditions. Differential scanning calorimetry curves measured at different heating rates (5 ≤ β ≤ 40 K min−1) are used to characterize the as-quenched samples. The thermal stability was monitored through the calculation of the temperature difference Tc − Tg, stability parameter S and crystallization rate factor Kp. The glass-forming ability (GFA) was investigated on the basis of Hurby parameter Hr which is a strong indicator of GFA. In addition, the activation energy of glass transition Et, activation energy of crystallization Ec and Avrami exponent n of the studied compositions were determined. The mechanism of crystallization was found to be a combination of two- and three-dimensional crystal growth.