Abstract Scope |
Glass’ lack of microstructure allows for infinite compositional tunability and makes it ideal for structure-property relationship development. Current structural models mainly focus on conventional network glasses, e.g., SiO2, consisting of a three-dimensional covalently bonded backbone. Yet, there exists a separate class of amorphous materials, ionic glasses; including classical invert glasses, geometrically frustrated glasses (sulfates, nitrates, carbonates or hydrates), mixtures of simple salts, ionic liquids and organic-inorganic hybrids. Their majority Coulombic interactions lends them to applications such as transmission windows, fast ion conductors, phase-change materials, adapted solders, hermetic seals and dielectric insulators. By evaluating the commonalities of different ionic glasses in comparison to network glasses, we recognize the importance of a non-percolating topology in the following dynamic properties: mechanical properties, ionic conductivity, relaxation processes and crystallization. This approach will be demonstrated by a study classifying ionic alkali fluoro- and chloro-sulfophosphate systems as ionic glasses. |