Interaction of water vapor with silicate glass surfaces: Mass-spectrometric investigations

Abstract

The secondary ion mass-spectroscopy technique was used to study the results of hydration of borosilicate, aluminosilicate, and soda-lime silicate glasses in ¹H₂¹⁸O water vapor containing 97% of the isotope ¹⁸O. It is shown that hydration of the surface of the soda-lime silicate glass occurs as a result of the ion-exchange reaction with alkali metals. In the case of borosilicate and aluminosilicate glasses, water molecules decompose on the glass surface, with the observed formation of hydrogenated layer in the glass being the result of a solid-state chemical reaction—presumably, with the formation of hydroxides from aluminum and boron oxides.