Effect of Crystallized Fraction on the Ion Exchange Process in Lithium Disilicate Glass-Ceramics

Abstract

Discovered in the early 1960s and widely applied to silicate glasses, the ion exchange process (IOX) had renewed interest by researchers due to its use in the new glass ceramics development with high mechanical and optical properties applied to mobile devices screens. This process consists of changing alkaline ions from the glass surface for large ions from a molten salt bath. This difference between the ionic radii results in a compressive surface tension that increases the mechanical strength of these materials. Unlike glasses, glass ceramics have a microstructure formed by the crystalline phase and the residualglass. This complex microstructure becomes this process more complicated in these materials and the reinforcement mechanisms are still unclear when compared with glasses. Hence, this project aims to study the influence of the variation of the crystalline fraction on the mechanical properties in the LS2 glass ceramics submitted by the ion exchange process.