LAUSR

Abstract Differential Thermal Analysis was used to calculate the heterogeneous nucleation rates for lithium disilicate glass doped with different concentrations of platinum particles. The lithium disilicate glass was melted with 0.001 and 0.005 wt% platinum and with PtCl 4 for the investigation, and compared with the same glass un-doped. Heterogeneous volume nucleation was observed and the number of nuclei as a function of time was calculated for temperatures 440 °C, 450 °C, and 470 °C. Results indicated a higher magnitude of heterogeneous nucleation rate for the glass doped with platinum compared to glass doped with PtCl 4 . Highest nucleation rate was at 455 °C with 6.5 × 10 11  m − 3  s − 1 for the glass doped with 0.005 wt% platinum particles while nucleation rate for glass doped with 0.001wt%PtCl 4 was 9.5 × 10 8  m − 3  s − 1 . Results calculated by differential thermal analysis are in good agreement to those estimated by the optical microscopy and molecular simulation measurements.