Soft X-ray Spectroscopic Measurement for Nanophase Separation of Sodium Borosilicate glasses

Abstract

Soft x-rays are generally understood to be x-rays in the energy range 100-3,000 eV, and they have energies higher than those of extreme ultraviolet light. Soft x-rays cover an energy range of importance for spectroscopic studies of many elements in the periodic table. IThe structural changes and nanophase separation dynamics of sodium borosilicate glasses were investigated using soft x-ray spectroscopy. We found that the coordination number of boron, which is significant for the phase separation dynamics, can be clearly detected by the absorption spectra of the soft x-ray. The fraction of four-coordinated boron (N4) decreased by adding the Al2O3 component. These results are discussed in relation to the calculations based on the density functional theory (DFT) and DVXa methods.