PNNL

Abstract

Properties of glasses are typically controlled by judicious selection of the glass-forming and glass-modifying constituents. Through an experimental and computational study of the crystalline, molten, and amorphous [Ca12Al14O32]2+ · (e–)2, we demonstrate that electron anions in this system behave as glass-modifiers that strongly affect solidification dynamics, the glass transition temperature, and spectroscopic properties of the resultant amorphous material. Concentration of such electron anions is a consequential control parameter: it invokes materials evolution pathways and properties not available in conventional glasses, which opens a new avenue in rational materials design.