Xiaoju Guo

Linking Equilibrium and Nonequilibrium Dynamics in Glass-Forming Systems.

Understanding nonequilibrium glassy dynamics is of great scientific and technological importance. However, prediction of the temperature, thermal history, and composition dependence of nonequilibrium viscosity is challenging due to the noncrystalline and nonergodic nature of the glassy state. Here, we show that the nonequilibrium glassy dynamics are intimately connected with the equilibrium liquid dynamics. This is accomplished by deriving a new functional form for the thermal history dependence of nonequilibrium viscosity, which is validated against experimental measurements of industrial silicate glasses and computed viscosities for selenium over a wide range of conditions. Since the temperature and composition dependence of liquid viscosity can be predicted using temperature-dependent constraint theory, our work also opens the possibility to improve understanding of the physics of nonequilibrium viscosity.

Structure-topology-property correlations of sodium phosphosilicate glasses

In this work, we investigate the correlations among structure, topology, and properties in a series of sodium phosphosilicate glasses with [SiO2]/[SiO2 + P2O5] ranging from 0 to 1. The network structure is characterized by (29)Si and (31)P magic-angle spinning nuclear magnetic resonance and Raman spectroscopy. The results show the formation of six-fold coordinated silicon species in phosphorous-rich glasses. Based on the structural data, we propose a formation mechanism of the six-fold coordinated silicon, which is used to develop a quantitative structural model for predicting the speciation of the network forming units as a function of chemical composition. The structural model is then used to establish a temperature-dependent constraint description of phosphosilicate glass topology that enables prediction of glass transition temperature, liquid fragility, and indentation hardness. The topological constraint model provides insight into structural origin of the mixed network former effect in phosphosilicate glasses.

Are the dynamics of a glass embedded in its elastic properties

The low temperature dynamics of glass are critically important for many high-tech applications. According to the elastic theory of the glass transition, the dynamics of glass are controlled by the evolution of shear modulus. In particular, the elastic shoving model expresses dynamics in terms of an activation energy required to shove aside the surrounding atoms. Here, we present a thorough test of the shoving model for predicting the low temperature dynamics of an oxide glass system. We show that the nonequilibrium viscosity of glass is governed by additional factors beyond changes in shear modulus.