Electron anions and the glass transition temperature
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Updated: Mar 15, 2026

Cooling Rate Dependent Ellipsometry Measurements to Determine the Dynamics of Thin Glassy Films
Published on: January 26, 2016
Lewis E Johnson1, Peter V Sushko2, Yudai Tomota3
1Physical Sciences Division, Physical & Computational Sciences Directorate, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA 99354;
Abstract:
Properties of glasses are typically controlled by judicious selection of the glass-forming and glass-modifying constituents. Through an experimental and computational study of the crystalline, molten, and amorphous [Ca12Al14O32](2+) ⋅ (e(-))2, we demonstrate that electron anions in this system behave as glass modifiers that strongly affect solidification dynamics, the glass transition temperature, and spectroscopic properties of the resultant amorphous material. The concentration of such electron anions is a consequential control parameter: It invokes materials evolution pathways and properties not available in conventional glasses, which opens a unique avenue in rational materials design.
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