The temperature dependent evaporation kinetics of silica was measured up to the boiling point3000 K using a CO 2 laser for heating, while the solid-gas phase evaporation chemistry of silica was assessed by using, hydrogen, air, and pure nitrogen gases that served to represent reducing, oxidizing, and neutral environments, respectively. Air, nitrogen, and hydrogen were increasingly more effective in evaporating silica at a given temperature in that order. Hydrogen gas enhancement was attributed to providing an additional pathway for the formation of the evaporation product SiO, while the oxygen in air pushed the balance of the reaction backwards. The problem of mass transport control was addressed experimentally with a gas-nozzle flow configuration co-aligned with the infrared laser heating that allowed varying the gas species feed and removal rates. The apparent mass transport limitations supported the use of a near-equilibrium analysis for the purposes of interpreting the evaporation kinetic data. In combination with an evaporation reaction schemes provided for each gas, the thermodynamics of the reactions were determined and the effective reaction free energies were derived from 2600 K to 3000 K and compared to reported values. With the corresponding mass transfer coefficient, a semiempirical model of the evaporation kinetics of silica is derived that accounts for the heating, gas chemistry, and transport parameters. The experimental and analytical approach described should have broad application to material evaporation, but also in applications requiring study of thermal decomposition chemistry under extreme temperatures.
Research highlights Evaporation rates of laser heated fused silica were measured from 2600-3000 K in the presence of hydrogen, air, and pure nitrogen gases The solid-gas phase chemistry of the reactions involved with oxidizing, neutral, and reducing gases were determined The process of silica evaporation was found to be mass transport limited A near equilibrium model is derived to describe the evaporation of silica based on temperature, gas composition, and gas flow rate