By combining molecular dynamics (MD) simulations with 29 Si and 27 Al magic-angle spinning nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, we present a comprehensive structural report on rare-earth (RE) aluminosilicate (AS) glasses of the RE 2 O 3 −Al 2 O 3 −SiO 2 (RE = Y, Lu) systems, where the latter is studied for the first time. The structural variations stemming from changes in the glass composition within each RE systemas well as the effects of the increased cation field-strength (CFS) of Lu 3+ relative to Y 3+ are explored and correlated to measured physical properties, such as density, molar volume, glass transition temperature, and Vickers hardness (H V ). 29 Si NMR reveals a pronounced network ordering for an increase in either the RE or Al content of the glass. Al mainly assumes tetrahedral coordination, but significant AlO 5 and AlO 6 populations are present in all structures, with elevated amounts in the Lu-bearing glasses compared to their Y analogues. The MD-derived oxygen speciation comprises up to 3% of free O 2− ions, as well as non-negligible amounts (4−19%) of O [3] coordinations ("oxygen triclusters"). While the SiO 4 groups mainly accommodate the nonbridging oxygen ions, a significant fraction thereof is located at the AlO 4 tetrahedra, in contrast to the scenario of analogous alkali-and alkaline-earth metal-based AS glasses. The average coordination numbers (CNs) of Al and RE progressively increase for decreasing Si content of the glass, with the average CN of the RE 3+ ions depending linearly on both the amount of Si and the fraction of AlO 5 groups in the structure. The Vickers hardness correlates strongly with the average CN of Al, in turn dictated by the CFS and content of the RE 3+ ions. This is to our knowledge the first structural rationalization of the well-known compositional dependence of H V in RE bearing AS glasses.

The structures of 15 La-Al-Si-O glasses, whose compositions span 11-28 mol% La(2)O(3), 11-30 mol% Al(2)O(3), and 45-78 mol% SiO(2), are explored over both short and intermediate length-scales by using a combination of solid-state (27)Al magic-angle spinning (MAS) nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. MAS NMR reveals Al speciations dominated by AlO(4) groups, with minor but significant fractions of AlO(5) (5-10%) and AlO(6) (≲3%) polyhedra present in all La(2)O(3)-Al(2)O(3)-SiO(2) glasses; the amounts of Al([5]) and Al([6]) coordinations increase for decreasing molar fraction of Si. The MD simulations reproduce this compositional trend, with the fractional populations of AlO(p) groups (p = 4, 5, 6) according well with the experimental results. The modeled La speciations mainly involve LaO(6) and LaO(7) polyhedra, giving a range of average La(3+) coordination numbers between 6.0 and 6.6; the latter increases slightly for decreasing Si content of the sample. Besides the expected bridging and non-bridging O species, minor contributions of oxygen triclusters (≤9%) and free O(2-) ions (≤4%) are observed in all MD data. The glass structures exhibit a pronounced Al/Si disorder; the MD simulations reveal essentially random SiO(4)-SiO(4), SiO(4)-AlO(p) and AlO(p)-AlO(q) (p, q = 4, 5, 6) associations, including significant amounts of AlO(4)-AlO(4) contacts, regardless of the n(Al)/n(Si) molar ratio of the glass. The strong violation of Al([4])-Al([4]) avoidance is verified by 2D (27)Al NMR experimentation that correlates double-quantum and single-quantum coherences, here applied for the first time to aluminosilicate glasses, and evidencing AlO(p)-AlO(q) connectivities dominated by AlO(4)-AlO(4) and AlO(4)-AlO(5) pairs. The potential bearings from distinct fictive temperatures of the experimental and modeled glass structures are discussed.

Many features of aluminosilicate glasses incorporating a rareearth (RE) ion are dictated by its mass and cation field strength (CFS). Sc-Al-Si-O glasses are interesting because Sc 3+ exhibits the highest CFS but the lowest mass of all RE 3+ ions. We explore relationships between the glass composition and several physical properties, such as density, glass-transition temperature (T g ), Vickers hardness, and refractive index, over the glass forming region of the ternary Sc 2 O 3 -Al 2 O 3 -SiO 2 system. The glasses exhibit uniform and unexpectedly low T g -values (%875°C), but a high microhardness (%9.3 GPa) that correlates with the Sc 2 O 3 content. 29Si magic-angle spinning (MAS) nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy shows enhanced deshielding and a minor glass-network ordering as either the Al or Sc content of the glass increases.27 Al MAS NMR reveals that besides the expected AlO 4 tetrahedra, substantial amounts of AlO 5 (31%-35%) and AlO 6 (%5%) polyhedra are present in all Sc-Al-Si-O glass structures.45 Sc isotropic chemical shifts (%92 ppm) derived from MAS and 3QMAS (triple-quantum MAS) NMR experiments are consistent with ScO 6 environments.

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dc magnetization and 31 P spin lattice relaxation rate in the polycrystalline sample of LaCoPO suggest a spin fluctuation dominated ferromagnetically ordered state. Moreover, NMR data clearly indicate a crossover from 2D to 3D spin fluctuations across TC. In contrast to isotropic hyperfine field, H hf at the 31 P site in LaFePO, H hf is anisotropic in LaCoPO. The data of spin lattice relaxation rate also exhibit anisotropic spin fluctuation. The anisotropy vanishes near TC.