Author name: Grant S. Henderson

Much progress has been made in elucidating the complex structures of silicate glasses and melts. X-ray and neutron scattering, spectroscopy, and theoretical calculations now provide a reasonably clear picture of many aspects of the short-range structure of glasses (which approximates the melt structure at the glass transition temperature). Critical effects of redox conditions and volatiles on structure have been clarified. Qualitatively, links between structure and properties such as molar volume, entropy, cation partitioning, and viscosity have been established, but quantitative connections remain challenging. Effects of temperature and pressure on structure have been the subject of much recent work.

Silicate melts are major components of magmatic activity and of its most spectacular expression, volcanic eruptions. The “hidden part” is even more fascinating, as silicate melts are directly involved in matter and heat transfer within the Earth and planets. Silicate glasses, often investigated as a frozen picture of their molten counterparts, are also materials of major importance in technology. Despite the difficulties in rationalizing physical and chemical properties of glasses and melts, due to an incomplete knowledge of their structure, major progress has been made recently in synthetic and natural systems. This issue of Elements reviews the properties of silicate glasses and melts from the molecular to the field scale. It includes insights into their technological applications and describes some recent advances this fast-evolving field.