Influence of Titanium Dioxide on Phase Separation in Lithium Aluminosilicate Glasses

Titanium dioxide is widely used as a catalyst in production of glass-ceramics from a number of aluminosilicate systems. Most investigators consider that the influence of TiO2 is manifested primarily in separation of the melt into two glassy phases, and that the metastable phase separation which occurs ensures fine-grained volume crystallization. However, the structural changes occurring during the period preceding volume crystallization have not been studied or fully explained.