Densified low-hygroscopic form of P2O5 glass

P2O5 compound is an archetypical glass-forming oxide with a record-high hygroscopicity, which makes both the study and potential industrial uses of the glass extremely difficult. We found that the quenching from the P2O5 melt under ultrahigh pressures enables obtaining densified P2O5 glasses with a residual densification up to 12% at normal conditions. These glasses have a low hygroscopicity and can exist under air conditions for several weeks. An examination of the structure of the new form of P2O5 glass reveals a significant increase in neighbors of terminal oxygen atoms in the second coordination sphere and a cardinal decrease of the volume of nanovoids in the glassy matrix. The research…