Quantitative AFM analysis of phase separated borosilicate glass surfaces

TL;DR

This study uses atomic force microscopy to quantitatively analyze phase-separated borosilicate glass surfaces, revealing how domain size depends on heat treatment and confirming theoretical scaling laws.

Contribution

It provides a novel quantitative AFM-based method to measure phase domain sizes and extract diffusion parameters in borosilicate glasses.

Findings

Domain size increases with heat treatment duration and temperature

Experimental data aligns with theoretical scaling laws

Interdiffusion coefficients and activation energy are estimated

Abstract

Phase separated borosilicate glass samples were prepared by applying various heat treatments. Using selective chemical etching we performed AFM measurement on the phase separated glass surfaces. A quantitative roughness analysis allowed us to measure precisely the dependence of the characteristic size of the phase domains on heating time and temperature. The experimental measurements are very well described by the theoretically expected scaling laws. Interdiffusion coefficients and activation energy are estimated from this analysis and are consistent with literature data.