glass transformation range
Quick Summary
The glass transformation range is a temperature range where a material transitions from a supercooled liquid to a glass. Unlike crystallization, which involves a distinct volume change, this transition is gradual with no discontinuities in properties. The glass transition temperature (Tg) marks the lower end of this range.12
Amorphous solids, also known as glasses, lack the long-range atomic order found in crystalline solids. Instead, they exhibit short-range order determined by chemical bonding. While often called amorphous, glasses do possess structure at the atomic level.2
The preparation of amorphous solids, or glasses, involves bypassing crystallization by cooling a melt rapidly enough to prevent the formation of crystals. The required cooling rate, or "quench rate," varies significantly between different materials. For instance, metallic glasses need very rapid quenching, while silicate glasses can be formed with much slower cooling.3
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