Mechanical properties of fluorozirconate-based glass ceramics for medical and photovoltaic applications

Young's and shear moduli were analyzed in Eu2+-doped fluorozirconate glasses, which were additionally doped with chlorine ions. Upon annealing between 240°C and 290°C, barium chloride nanocrystals were formed in the glass. Determination of the Vickers hardness, H, leads to a slight trend of decreasing hardness for higher annealing temperatures, whereas subsequent annealing has almost no effect on the fracture toughness K Ic.