Geometry and Physics of Covalent Network Glasses

Explore the fascinating world of covalent network glasses in this 48-minute lecture by Richard Kerner from the Institut des Hautes Etudes Scientifiques (IHES). Delve into the unique characteristics of glasses, focusing on their short to medium-range order and the absence of long-range order found in crystalline materials. Examine the structural differences between covalent systems like chalcogenides (As-Se, Ge-As-Se) and oxides (borate, boro-silicate, and silicate glasses), and understand how these variations impact their physical properties and applications. Learn about a simple mathematical model of glass transition based on molecular agglomeration in overcooled liquids, utilizing probability spaces and stochastic matrices. Discover how this model explains the dependence of glass transition temperature on chemical composition in non-organic covalent glasses. Follow the presentation as it covers topics such as glass formation, regularity in glasses, dendritic growth, and the concept of isostaticity. Gain insights into the complex nature of glasses and their transition process through numerous examples that validate the stochastic agglomeration model.