Ultrafast structural dynamics of silicate glasses in extreme environments
Abstract A fundamental understanding of network structure and associated atomic-scale mechanisms in silicate glasses under dynamic compression is crucial for explaining several phenomena including, planetary formation, core-mantle boundary dynamics, and the design of high-performance glasses for military and aerospace application. Although pure silica has been extensively studied, the behavior of modified silicate glasses is often extrapolated from pure silica, with direct structural evidence remaining limited. We directly probed nanosecond-scale structural dynamics in silicate glasses containing network-forming cations (borosilicate glass) and network-modifying cations (soda-lime glass) using time-resolved X-ray diffraction and laser-driven shock compression. Distinct polymorphic behavior, strongly dependent on the network structure, was observed between 40 and 65 GPa. Borosilicate glass undergoes polymorphic phase transitions with crystal symmetry strongly dependent on the pressure, whereas soda-lime glass exhibits changes in coordination number without a corresponding change in the global symmetry. Above 65 GPa, both glasses respond similarly, exhibiting increasing densification and structural disorder, ultimately leading to melting.
Authors
- Pooja Rao (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4053-3237)
- Roopali Kukreja (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9162-8527)
- Philip Heimann (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2973-664X)
- I. K. Ocampo (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0280-0805)
- Danqi Yin (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7697-128X)
- A. E. Gleason (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7736-5118)
- Silvia Pandolfi (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6019-8694)
- John C. Mauro (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4319-3530)
- Katy S. Gerace (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3053-0948)
- Surya Teja Botu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6399-6525)
- Meera Madhavi (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9726-9166)
- Jugal Mehta (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3536-822X)
- Spencer Jeppson (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7292-7302)
- Rahul Jangid (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9511-3221)
- Brittney M. Hauke (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4175-8569)
- Dimitri Khaghani (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5139-2310)
- Karan Doss
- Hae Ja Lee (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4035-5637)
- Eric Cunningham (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0976-4416)
- Scott Smith (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5286-954X)
- D. K. Spaulding (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1493-9612)
- Donghoon Kim (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8073-7325)
- Yong Cheng (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6465-3022)
- Saeed Yousefi (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2972-4654)
Institutions
- Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (US)
- Planetary Science Institute (US)
- Pennsylvania State University (US)
- Brookhaven National Laboratory (US)
- Princeton University (US)
- SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory (US)
- Sorbonne Université (FR)
- Institut de minéralogie, de physique des matériaux et de cosmochimie (FR)
- University of California, Davis (US)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Communications Materials
- Published
- 2025-12-06
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1038/s43246-025-00950-9
- Primary Topic
- Glass properties and applications
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00