Study on the Water Durability of Zinc Boro-Phosphate Glasses Doped with MgO, Fe₂O₃, and TiO₂

The water durability of zinc boro-phosphate (PZB) glasses with the composition 60P2O5-20ZnO- 20B2O3-xMeO (x = 0, 2, 4, 6 and MeO = MgO,Fe₂O₃, or TiO₂) (mol%) was measured, and PZB glass was studied in terms of its thermal properties, density, and FTIR characteristics. The surface conditions and corrosion byproducts were analyzed using scanning electron microscopy. When MgO,Fe₂O₃, and TiO₂ were doped into the PZB glass, Q2 was decreased and Q1 was increased in the phosphate structure, while the number of BO4 structures increased with increasing MeO content. The density of the PZB glass was increased by the addition ofFe₂O₃ and TiO₂, while the glass transition temperature (Tg) and dilatometric softening temperature (Td) were increased when additional MgO,Fe₂O₃, and TiO₂ were added. From the weight loss analysis (95 ◦C, 96 h), TiO₂ doped glass showed the lowest weight loss (1.70 × 10−3 g/cm2) while MgO doped glass showed the highest value (2.44 × 10−3 g/cm2), compared with PZB glass (3.07 × 10−3 g/cm2). These results were discussed in terms of the Men+ ions in the glass structure, and their different coordination numbers and bonding strengths.