Study of phase transformations in titanium-containing magnesium-aluminum silicate glasses and glass-ceramics for diffuse reflectors

In order to obtain materials with high diffuse reflectance in the visible and near-IR regions, liquation phase decay and crystallization processes have been studied in detail in model titanium-containing magnesium-aluminum silicate glasses by the methods of x-ray phase analysis and Raman scattering. The character of the phase separation is studied, and the nature and size of the precipitated crystalline phases is determined as a function of the composition of the starting glass and the heat-treatment regime. It is shown that features of the initial stages of phase separation manifest themselves during high-temperature crystallization by affecting the reflective properties of the material. (C) 2002 Optical Society of America.