Homogeneity of Lithium Metasilicate-Copper Oxide Glass-Ceramics by Weibull Modulus

Abstract

The work idea is finding out how the homogeneity of dielectric strength property in lithium metasilicate glass-ceramic with addition weight percentage increasing of CuO. It prepared four specimens, one without CuO addition lithium metasilicate glass-ceramic LSGC and consists of Li2O-SiO2 binary system glass batch with weight percentages 45 wt% Li2O and 55 wt% SiO2. It added to the binary system CuO with different weight percentages to prepare the rest three specimens in front of the Li2O weight percentage decreasing as 1 wt% LC1S, 2 wt% LC2S, and 3 wt% LC3S. The glass batches for four specimens were mixed and used melting-quenching method at temperature of 1195OC for soaking time 2 hrs. It used platinum crucible (90 Pt-10 Rh) and immediately cooled in the cold water of temperature at 3OC. This process was repeated twice for all specimens and the produced frit was milled by agate mortar. Addition of P2O5 and TiO2 as nucleating agents with weight percentage 3 wt% P2O5 and 1 wt% TiO2 and prepared compact discs with dimensions 18 diameter × 2.58 thickness mm by the used biaxial hydraulic press with 5 tons for 30 s under pressure. The heat treatment was done for all glass batch compact discs of temperature at 950OC for 6 hrs as soaking time and breakdown voltage test was done executed 10 different spots in each specimen and Weibull modulus was used to know the homogeneity of dielectric strength property and coincided with Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopes (FE-SEM) images. It got a good match between Weibull modulus results and FESEM images which indicating that Weibull modulus is the active tool that can be used for knowing the homogeneity of any property. The high average dielectric strength is 9.116 kV/mm for LC1S while the lower average dielectric strength is 7.101 kV/mm for LSGC and this back to more homogeneity and fewer defects in LC1S than LSGC.