Chemical Durability Of Lanthanum-Enriched Borosilicate Glass

The role of lanthanum in the alteration kinetics at different degrees of reaction progress was investigated at 90 deg C and pH7 by complementary chemical (SIMS), morphological (SAXS), and structural (NMR, Raman, and EXAFS spectroscopy) approaches. In the first step of alteration, the forward dissolution rate diminishes with the addition of lanthanum, resembling the behaviour previously observed for zirconium. Over longer alteration time, the glasses with the highest lanthanum concentrations reach silicon saturation more slowly, but unlike zirconium, do not result in larger quantities of altered glass. Lanthanum is entirely retained in the alteration layer and is uniformly distributed.