Article Direct observation of the topological pruning in silica glass network; the key for realizing extreme transparency

Madoka Ono ORCID ; Yasuhito Tanabe ; Masaya Fujioka ; Hiroki Yamada ; Koji Ohara ORCID ; Shinji Kohara SAMURAI ORCID ; Masanori Fujinami ; Junji Nishii

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Madoka Ono, Yasuhito Tanabe, Masaya Fujioka, Hiroki Yamada, Koji Ohara, Shinji Kohara, Masanori Fujinami, Junji Nishii. Direct observation of the topological pruning in silica glass network; the key for realizing extreme transparency. NPG Asia Materials. 2025, 17 (1), 5. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41427-025-00589-5

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(abstract)

The optical transparency of silica glass significantly improves when subjected to compression at its melting temperature. Using a rare hydrostatic iso-pressure apparatus capable of reaching 0.98 GPa at 1800°C with Ar-gas as the pressure medium, we obtained centimeter-sized glass samples, allowing us to measure various properties. Both the density and refractive index increased with pressure, while the refractive index dispersion decreased monotonically. However, Rayleigh scattering intensity, and small ring structures show a minimum around 0.8 GPa. High-energy X-ray scattering analysis indicate that the short-range structure, around 4 Å, governs the monotonic trends in averaged physical properties such as density and refractive index. In contrast, non-monotonic changes are observed with the disappearance of intermediate-range order at around 8 Å. This simplification of structural ordering is crucial for achieving extreme transparency in silica glass. The effect of suppression of the 8 Å order is well explained by the predicted topological pruning phenomenon, where large voids and small unstable ring structures vanish, leading to minimal light scattering under high pressure. Our experimental findings also reveal that the optimal pressure for achieving this transparency is much lower than previously predicted, which makes the process more feasible for mass production applications.

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Keyword: glass, fiber

Date published: 2025-02-21

Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC

Journal:

  • NPG Asia Materials (ISSN: 18844057) vol. 17 issue. 1 5

Funding:

  • MEXT | Japan Society for the Promotion of Science 20H05880
  • MEXT | Japan Society for the Promotion of Science 21H01835
  • MEXT | Japan Society for the Promotion of Science 21K19016
  • MEXT | Japan Society for the Promotion of Science 24K01371
  • MEXT | Japan Society for the Promotion of Science 20H05880
  • MEXT | Japan Society for the Promotion of Science 21H01835
  • MEXT | Japan Society for the Promotion of Science 21K19016
  • MEXT | Japan Society for the Promotion of Science 24K01371
  • MEXT | Japan Society for the Promotion of Science 20H05880

Manuscript type: Publisher's version (Version of record)

MDR DOI:

First published URL: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41427-025-00589-5

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Updated at: 2025-02-23 22:51:32 +0900

Published on MDR: 2025-02-23 22:51:32 +0900

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