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Why can aluminosilicate glass operate at higher temperatures than soda-lime glass?

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The premise that aluminosilicate glass operates at higher temperatures than soda-lime glass is correct. This difference is primarily due to the chemical composition and the resulting atomic structure of the glass.12

In glass chemistry, the addition of network-modifying (NWM) ions—such as alkali ions like sodium—to a silica network disrupts the structure by creating nonbridging oxygens. This process lowers the connectivity of the glass network, which in turn significantly reduces the glass's viscosity and its softening temperature.21

Soda-lime glass contains a high concentration of these alkali modifiers (such as soda), which makes it easier to melt and form but results in lower thermal resistance. In contrast, aluminosilicate glasses are formulated with significantly lower alkali content and higher proportions of alumina. By minimizing the concentration of network-modifying ions, the aluminosilicate structure maintains higher connectivity and a more rigid network. Consequently, these glasses exhibit higher viscosity at elevated temperatures, allowing them to withstand much higher operating temperatures before deforming compared to standard soda-lime-silica compositions.1324