Crystallization Kinetics of Basalt Glass-Ceramics Produced from Olivine Basalt Rock

Abstract

Glass-ceramics acquired from the melting of rocks have a vast application marketplace. In this study, an olivine basalt rock from Zhangjiakou in China was selected as a raw material to prepare basalt glass-ceramics, and the crystallization kinetics of olivine basalt glass was investigated using differential thermal analysis. Polarizing microscope and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis results revealed that the main mineral compositions of olivine basalt are plagioclase, pyroxene, olivine, and iron oxide(s). Three crystallization peaks were observed in the DSC curve of the olivine basalt glass. The Avrami exponent (n), apparent activation energies for the crystallization, and glass transition of basalt glass were determined using the Owaza method based on data obtained from isothermal measurements. The crystallization activation energies (E) of the three crystallization peaks of olivine basalt glass were 314.20 kJ/mol, 1232.49 kJ/mol, and 696.89 kJ/mol, respectively. In addition to this, the crystal growth index indicated that the crystallization mode in the olivine basalt glass was surface crystallization. The crystallization phases and microstructure of the olivine basalt glass heated at 860 °C, 1100 °C, and 1180 °C were also studied. The conclusions obtained offer some useful information for the preparation of basalt glass-ceramics from olivine basalt rocks.