Network structure of AlF3BaF2CaF2 glass

Two types of glasses in the ternary Alf 3 BaF 2 CaF 2 system were prepared under different cooling rates to investigate their network structure. It is suggested that the network is constructed from (AlF 5 ) 2− chains and (AlF 6 ) 3− isolated units and many isolated units are present in the rapidly cooled glass from radial distribution analyses. Molecular dynamics simulations were carried out to reproduce the difference in the glass network. The models showed good agreement with the observed RDF and Raman spectrum, but an exact structural difference in the network could not be obtained. However, it is suggested that chains with branches may be formed when the melt is slowly cooled.