The Vitreous State

This book summarizes the experimental evidence and modern classical and theoretical approaches in understanding the vitreous state, from structural problems, over equilibrium and non-equilibrium thermodynamics, to statistical physics. Glasses, and especially silicate glasses, are only the best known representatives of this particular physical state of matter. Other typical representatives include organic polymer glasses, and many other easily vitrifying organic and inorganic substances, technically important materials, amidst them vitreous water and vitrified aqueous solutions, and also many metallic alloy systems. Some of these systems only form glasses under particular conditions, e.g. through ultra-rapid cooling. This book describes the properties and the formation of both every-day technical glasses and especially of such more exotic forms of vitreous matter. It is a unique source of knowledge and new ideas for materials scientists, engineers and researchers working on condensed matter. The new edition emphasizes latest experimental findings and modern theories, explaining the kinetics of glass formation, the relaxation and stabilization of glasses and their crystallization in terms of new models, derived from the framework of the thermodynamics of irreversible processes. It shows how the properties of common technical glasses, window glass, or the vitreous ice kernel of comets can be used to develop a new understanding of the existence of matter in various, unusual forms. The described theories can even find application for the description of lasers and interesting unusual processes in the universe.

This book provides an up-to-date and comprehensive coverage of the properties of glasses as materials and of the vitreous state in general. The broad coverage of the book includes a study of the methods of studying the structure, glass classification, and electrical, optical, thermal and mechanical properties of glasses.

This is the first book to logically present the major problems of the vitreous state within the framework of irreversible thermodynamics. Filled with elementary explanations for difficult problems, this easily understood text/reference treats in detail the criteria of glass transition, the peculiarities of relaxing structural parameters, and the Prigogine-Defay ratio. Based on the author's rigorous generalization of the Second Law for non-equilibrium, the book systematizes all known thermodynamic data for glasses and melts. The thermodynamic essence of structural relaxation and memory effects are considered. The viscous flow theories are treated as a constituent of the kinetic description. All theoretical questions are illustrated by comparison of calculations with the experiments for glasses of inorganic and organic nature, with special attention to structural classification. An informative review of modern structural investigations is included. The bibliography follows the history of the main problems from the nineteenth century.

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The present book is devoted to problems of a physically important state of condensed matter - the vitreous state. We tried to summarize here the experimental evidence and the different theoretical approaches - structural, thermodynamic and those of statistical physics - connected with the formation, the kinetic stability and with the general nature of glasses as a particular physical state. In addition, a summary is given on the information available concerning proces ses of nucleation and crystallization of glass-forming systems, on methods of preventing or, in contrast, catalyzing crystallization in vitrifying liquids, on the kinetics of nucleation, the modes of crystal growth in undercooled melts and the devitrification of glasses. It was our aim to summarize in the present volume the basic principles and the most significant developments of a newly emerging science - glass science - and to show that, at least, in principle, any substance can exist in the vitreous state. Moreover, we have tried to demonstrate that the characteristic properties of the vitreous state may be attributed under certain conditions not only to systems with an amorphous structure (like the common glasses) but also to a number of other states of condensed matter including the crystalline one.

This is the first book to logically present the major problems of the vitreous state within the framework of irreversible thermodynamics. Filled with elementary explanations for difficult problems, this easily understood text/reference treats in detail the criteria of glass transition, the peculiarities of relaxing structural parameters, and the Prigogine-Defay ratio. Based on the author's rigorous generalization of the Second Law for non-equilibrium, the book systematizes all known thermodynamic data for glasses and melts. The thermodynamic essence of structural relaxation and memory effects are considered. The viscous flow theories are treated as a constituent of the kinetic description. All theoretical questions are illustrated by comparison of calculations with the experiments for glasses of inorganic and organic nature, with special attention to structural classification. An informative review of modern structural investigations is included. The bibliography follows the history of the main problems from the nineteenth century.