Application of positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy in studies of crystallization processes

Abstract

This study concerns the crystallization process observed in three-component Vycor glass heated in the temperature range from 875 to 975 K. PALS and X-ray diffraction results confirmed partial crystallization of silica in the studied material depending on the time and temperature of thermal treatment. It is shown that PALS can be treated as a new method for investigation of the crystallinity degree. Increased crystallization degree obtained from X-ray diffraction data is perfectly correlated with o-Ps intensity decrease determined from PALS spectra for each temperature.