Effect of ZnO/K2O ratio on the crystallization sequence and microstructure of lithium disilicate glass-ceramics

The effect of ZnO/K2O (Z/K) ratio on the crystallization sequence and microstructure of lithium disilicate (Li2Si2O5: LS2) glass-ceramics was carefully investigated for the SiO2-Li2O-K2O-ZnO-P2O5 system. The Z/K ratios of precursor glasses were varied from 0 to 3.5 while the nucleating agent of P2O5 and glass modifiers of ZnO plus K2O were fixed to have 1.5 and 4.5 mol% relative to LS2, respectively. For the samples prepared by two-stage heat treatments of 500 degrees C for 1 h and 800 degrees C for 2 h in air, the LS2 nucleation rate was increased with increasing the Z/K ratio due to the variation in crystallization sequence from type II (Li2SiO3: LS) to type I (LS + LS2) in addition to an amorphous phase separation in base glass. Consequently, with increasing the Z/K ratio, the LS2 crystalline phase within the glass matrix continuously changed from larger acicular ones to smaller equiaxed ones.