Abstract
Glass samples with the compositionsxFe(2)O(3)-35SiO(2)-35B(2)O(3)-10Al(2)O(3)-(20 - x) Na2O (0 <= x <= 1 mol.%) were designed and assembled by melting quenching technique. These samples were investigated by XRD, optical, mechanical, thermal, and FT-IR spectroscopy studies. FT-IR spectra reveal that these glasses are built up of BO3, BO4, and octahedral [FeO6]. The present glasses exhibited the increase in density, thermal parameter values, ultrasonic velocities, elastic moduli, optical band gap (E-opt), and refractive index of the prepared glasses. The corresponding glass-ceramic of these glasses was prepared by controlling heat treatment and investigated with XRD, mechanical, SEM, and TEM. The present glass-ceramics exhibited the increase in density, ultrasonic velocities, and elastic moduli; these values are larger than those of the parent glasses. XRD exhibited the crystalline phases of selected glass-ceramics samples. The transmission electron microscope (TEM) exhibited the grain size of glass-ceramics in nano-size and range between 63.9 and 165 nm. The scanning electron microscope (SEM) exhibited backscattered electron images of the produced glass-ceramics. It is observed that crystalline texture contains relatively large interstitial pores, demonstrating the residual glassy matrix.