Moessbauer study of the fraction of non-bridging oxygens in potassium borate glasses

A Moessbauer study was performed to find the fraction of non-bridging oxygens in potassium borate glasses containing a small amount of iron. The borate glasses with alkali contents of 15, 20, 25, 30 and 40 mol% were irradiated with 60Co-γ rays at room temperature in a nitrogen atmosphere. The Moessbauer absorption area for the irradiation-induced Fe2+ increased with the total γ-ray dose in the range of 1 x 106 - 2 x 108 R, and became constant after irradiation ranging from 2 x 108 R - 1 x 109 R. The absorption area for the Fe2+ at the saturated region was correlated with the difference in the glass structure, i.e., the fraction of the non-bridging oxygens was estimated from the increased absorption area for the Fe2+ as a function of the alkali content of the glasses. The fraction of the non-bridging oxygen increased with the alkali content of the glasses in the alkali region above 20 mol%, and about 14% of the fraction was obtained for an alkali content of 40 mol%. (orig.)