Mechanical and Optical Properties of ZrO₂ Doped Silicate Glass Ceramics

In the present study, we report the physical and optical properties of low-cost glass (soda-lime silicate glass) fabricated from local minerals, obtained from Hazara division Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. Zirconium dioxide (1–3%) was added as a nucleating agent to investigate its effect on phase, density, hardness, and optical properties of soda-lime silicate glass. In the obtained glass-ceramic materials, the major crystalline phase was cristobalite. It was found that an increase in ZrO2 content and heat treatment of the samples, resulted in an increase in bulk crystallization of the samples. The mechanical properties were found to be improved with ZrO2 addition. The bandgap of the sample was in the range 3.78–4.09 eV.