Kinetic analysis of the crystallization processes in the glasses of the Bi–As–S system

Kinetic analysis of the crystallization process in Bi4(As2S3)96 and Bi6(As2S3)94 glasses was performed based on DSC curves recorded under non-isothermal measurement conditions. Samples were thermally treated at different heating rates in the temperature range 300–770 K. The activation energy of crystallization E and the pre-exponential factor K0 are determined by the Kissinger method and the characteristic crystallization parameters m and n of investigated glasses by the Matusita method. For both crystallization processes the glass with 4 at.% of Bi is characterized by the mechanism of volume nucleation, which is manifested in the form of two-dimensional growth at the first crystallization process, and as three-dimensional at the second one. On the other hand, in the sample with 6 at.% Bi, the average value of the parameter m is close to one, which indicates one-dimensional crystal growth. Compatibility of the values of the parameters m and n suggests that this sample has a large number of crystallization centers, which do not increase significantly during the thermal treatment.