Author(s)

Salma Ahmeed¹, Gomaa El Damrawi^2*

¹Physics Department, Sirte University, Sirte, Libya.
²Physics Department, Faculty of Science, Mansoura University, Mansoura, Egypt.

Cerium oxide has a great capacity to remove nonbridging oxygen atoms (NBO) from the glass network and serves as glass former units. The well formed CeO₄ units played the role of decreasing NBO from the silicate network and cause a reduction in the concentration of tetrahedral boron groups (N₄). The highest content of NBO in glass of lower CeO₂ (1 mol%) has a dominant role in constructing crystalline clusters in the glass. Higher CeO₂ concentration leads to formation of an amorphous glass network as documented by XRD and TEM-EDP spectra. Coordination of cerium with oxygen atoms gives uniform units of spherical morphology in the pure CeO₂ as well as in cerium rich glass. Clustered species has a great benefit in the field of application, used as a shielding material for ionized radiations.

TEM-EDP, SEM-EDEX, Cluster Formation, Cerium Borosilicate Glasses

Ahmeed, S. and Damrawi, G. (2022) Mechanism of Cluster Formation on Cerium Borosilicate Glasses Based on TEM-EDP and SEM-EDEX Investigations. Journal of Minerals and Materials Characterization and Engineering, 10, 153-162. doi: 10.4236/jmmce.2022.102012.