Monte Carlo simulations of borosilicate glass corrosion: predictions for morphology and kinetics

Three-dimensional Monte Carlo modeling of the corrosion of sodium borosilicate glasses has been performed by considering the competition between the hydrolysis of the covalent network and the redeposition of the weakly soluble silicon species. Since the Monte Carlo simulations reproduce quantitatively the experimental kinetics of corrosion, they were extended to predicting the morphological reconstruction of the altered layer. Different hypotheses for the redeposition of dissolved silica have been tested to take into account the limited diffusion of the dissolved silicon species across the altered layer. Simulations show that pore ripening proceeds through a densification of the altered layer and an increase of volume fraction of the larger pores.