Evidence of deep water penetration in silica during stress corrosion fracture

TL;DR

This study uses neutron reflectivity to measure heavy water penetration in silica during stress corrosion fracture, revealing a damaged zone of approximately 100 Å extending ahead of the crack tip.

Contribution

It provides direct experimental evidence of water penetration depth and damaged zone size during silica stress corrosion fracture, advancing understanding of the fracture process.

Findings

Water penetrates 65-85 Å into silica during fracture

Damaged zone extends approximately 100 Å ahead of crack tip

Results align with recent theoretical and experimental studies

Abstract

We measure the thickness of the heavy water layer trapped under the stress corrosion fracture surface of silica using neutron reflectivity experiments. We show that the penetration depth is 65-85 \aa ngstr\"{o}ms, suggesting the presence of a damaged zone of $\approx$ 100 \aa ngstr\"{o}ms extending ahead of the crack tip during its propagation. This estimate of the size of the damaged zone is compatible with other recent results.