Effect of high copper content in Cu_x(As₂Se₃)_100-x glass on properties relevant for engineering of thermally induced processes

ABSTRACT

Kinetic analysis of thermally induced processes was carried out in Cu_x(As₂Se₃)_100-x glass with high copper content, x = 20 and 25 at.%. Non-isothermal differential scanning calorimetry at different heating rates was used to analyze the glass-transition and crystallization processes. It was shown that the glass-transition temperature increases with the increase in the copper content and that the examined glasses during the glass transition process do not show large configurational changes in the structure. Apparent activation energy of crystallization was determined using Kissinger method. In the composition with 25 at.% of copper the crystallization of three structural units was detected: CuAsSe₂, Cu₃AsSe₄ and Cu₂Se. Analysis of the crystallization mechanism and determination of parameters that depend on the morphology of nucleation and growth showed that volume nucleation and three-dimensional growth occur with a constant number of nucleation centers. Isoconversional analysis showed that the activation energy does not change significantly during the crystallization process.

KEYWORDS:

• Glass
• activation energy
• crystallization
• glass transition
• kinetics

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

The authors acknowledge financial support of the Provincial Secretariat for Higher Education and Scientific Research (Contract No. 142-451-3476/2023-01/2) through project “Novel chalcogenide materials for efficient transformation and use of energy”; of the Ministry of Science, Technological Development and Innovation of the Republic of Serbia (Contracts No. 451-03-65/2024-03/200156, No. 451-03-66/2024-03/ 200125 and No. 451-03-65/2024-03/200125) and the Faculty of Technical Sciences, University of Novi Sad through project “Scientific and Artistic Research Work of Researchers in Teaching and Associate Positions at the Faculty of Technical Sciences, University of Novi Sad” (No. 01-3394/1).