Pressure-induced amorphous-amorphous transition in pre-densified silica glass: an experimental exploration of the potential energy landscape

Abstract Despite the difficulty of experimentally studying polyamorphic transitions in high-Tg glasses, it is well known that silica glass has two high-density phases: the cold-compressed and hot-compressed high-density amorphous phases (c-HDA and h-HDA). By means of vibrational spectroscopy techniq...

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Main Authors: M. Courtois, A. Berthelot, A. Cornet, S. Le Floch, C. Martinet, T. Deschamps
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Nature Portfolio 2025-02-01
Series:Scientific Reports
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Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-89802-7
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author M. Courtois
A. Berthelot
A. Cornet
S. Le Floch
C. Martinet
T. Deschamps
author_facet M. Courtois
A. Berthelot
A. Cornet
S. Le Floch
C. Martinet
T. Deschamps
author_sort M. Courtois
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Despite the difficulty of experimentally studying polyamorphic transitions in high-Tg glasses, it is well known that silica glass has two high-density phases: the cold-compressed and hot-compressed high-density amorphous phases (c-HDA and h-HDA). By means of vibrational spectroscopy techniques under pressure, we first evidence that the yield strength under hydrostatic pressure is identical for glasses of similar density, whatever the thermo-mechanical history, showing that the elastic limit of a silica glass depends solely of its density. Our results also reveal the changes in the energy landscape of amorphous silica under high pressure. Above a certain threshold pressure, the energy barriers between the different amorphous phases vanish and the glass is automatically driven toward the c-HDA phase, whatever the initial structure and the temperature of compression. Very high pressures can therefore erase all traces of a glass’s thermodynamic history.
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spelling doaj-art-0648c91dd5fa47d19fa5a63414bad55e2025-08-20T02:16:40ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222025-02-011511910.1038/s41598-025-89802-7Pressure-induced amorphous-amorphous transition in pre-densified silica glass: an experimental exploration of the potential energy landscapeM. Courtois0A. Berthelot1A. Cornet2S. Le Floch3C. Martinet4T. Deschamps5Institut Lumière Matière UMR CNRS 5306, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, CNRSInstitut Lumière Matière UMR CNRS 5306, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, CNRSInstitut Néel, Université Grenoble Alpes and Centre National de la Recherche ScientifiqueInstitut Lumière Matière UMR CNRS 5306, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, CNRSInstitut Lumière Matière UMR CNRS 5306, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, CNRSInstitut Lumière Matière UMR CNRS 5306, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, CNRSAbstract Despite the difficulty of experimentally studying polyamorphic transitions in high-Tg glasses, it is well known that silica glass has two high-density phases: the cold-compressed and hot-compressed high-density amorphous phases (c-HDA and h-HDA). By means of vibrational spectroscopy techniques under pressure, we first evidence that the yield strength under hydrostatic pressure is identical for glasses of similar density, whatever the thermo-mechanical history, showing that the elastic limit of a silica glass depends solely of its density. Our results also reveal the changes in the energy landscape of amorphous silica under high pressure. Above a certain threshold pressure, the energy barriers between the different amorphous phases vanish and the glass is automatically driven toward the c-HDA phase, whatever the initial structure and the temperature of compression. Very high pressures can therefore erase all traces of a glass’s thermodynamic history.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-89802-7Silica glassHigh-pressurePolyamorphismPotential energy landscape
spellingShingle M. Courtois
A. Berthelot
A. Cornet
S. Le Floch
C. Martinet
T. Deschamps
Pressure-induced amorphous-amorphous transition in pre-densified silica glass: an experimental exploration of the potential energy landscape
Scientific Reports
Silica glass
High-pressure
Polyamorphism
Potential energy landscape
title Pressure-induced amorphous-amorphous transition in pre-densified silica glass: an experimental exploration of the potential energy landscape
title_full Pressure-induced amorphous-amorphous transition in pre-densified silica glass: an experimental exploration of the potential energy landscape
title_fullStr Pressure-induced amorphous-amorphous transition in pre-densified silica glass: an experimental exploration of the potential energy landscape
title_full_unstemmed Pressure-induced amorphous-amorphous transition in pre-densified silica glass: an experimental exploration of the potential energy landscape
title_short Pressure-induced amorphous-amorphous transition in pre-densified silica glass: an experimental exploration of the potential energy landscape
title_sort pressure induced amorphous amorphous transition in pre densified silica glass an experimental exploration of the potential energy landscape
topic Silica glass
High-pressure
Polyamorphism
Potential energy landscape
url https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-89802-7
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