Entropy-Mediated Crystallization Manipulation in Glass

The entropy mediated temperature-structure evolution has attracted significant interest, which is used for the development of functional alloys and ceramics. But such strategy has not yet been demonstrated for development of non-metallic glasses. Herein, the successful application of the entropy engineering concept to non-metallic glass to manipulate its in situ crystallization process is demonstrated. The comparison of the entropy concept in alloys, ceramics, and non-metallic glass is discussed. As a typical example, the activation and preservation of the entropy stabilized effect of a typical niobosilicate glass system at different temperatures are studied. The relation between the micro-configurations and the entropic property is analyzed. Via the entropy engineering strategy, the crystallization of the niobosilicate glass can be manipulated. As a result, the LiNbO₃ nanocrystal-in-glass (NiG) composite with high crystallinity is developed, which exhibits 8 times higher nonlinearity compared with the β-BBO crystal. The developed NiG composite is demonstrated for practical application in precise measurement of the duration and phase of ultra-short femtosecond pulse.