Chemical bond approach to glass structure

The importance of fundamental chemical bonding considerations, based on an examination of the chemical bonds expected to be present, in the determination of the structures and properties of a wide variety of glasses, is discussed. The average number of near neighbors of each type expected to surround a given central atom in an alloy glass, can often be estimated by using simple considerations based on chemical ordering, coordination numbers and bond energies. The bonding patterns thus obtained provide insight into the average local order present in these glasses, as well as enabling the explanation and prediction of various physical, chemical and electrical properties. Several examples are given to illustrate these ideas.