Glass alteration in the process of long-term corrosion caused by internal stress: A comparative study of degraded and intact domains in 19th century semi-opaque turquoise glass seed beads using micro-FTIR spectroscopy and SEM

Abstract

Intact and degraded domains are analysed in the same glass beads using FTIR and SEM • Glass depolymerizes in degraded domains and does not depolymerize in intact ones • Alkali elements migrate from degraded domains to intact ones due to internal stress • Internal stresses drive glass depolymerization, bleaching, cracking and fragmenting • Atomic-level thermal fluctuation mechanism of glass stress corrosion is discussed