The effect of mixed La-Y doping on water resistance of phosphate glass

In this work, the effect of mixed La-Y doping on the water resistance of xLa2O3–(16-x)Y2O3–8Al2O3–10Na2O–66P2O5 (x = 0, 4, 8, 12, 16 mol%) glasses was studied. The glass structure, glass transition temperature (Tg), dc conductivity (σdc) and water resistance of glass were respectively characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), differential scanning calorimeter (DSC), electrochemical workstation and water resistance test. The results show that with the gradual replacement of Y2O3 by La2O3, the value of Q(2) (Q2 content as a percentage of the sum of Q1 and Q2 contents in glass structure) and water resistance characterized by mass loss per unit surface area indicate strong “mixed rare earth effect”. It is obvious that the change of glass structure causes water resistance of glass to vary nonlinearly and exhibit a positive deviation from linearity. The results can provide some useful information for tailoring the chemical durability of glass by mixed rare earth doping.