Application of the Environmental Relaxation Model to the Temperature Dependence of the Viscosity

Abstract

An equation relating viscous flow processes to local microstructure is applied to the viscosity of nine materials belonging to different classes of glass formers. It is seen that the model proposes the correct general behavior for the viscosity and the associated activation energy distributions. The model further explains this behavior in terms of a temperature-dependent ordering process in the structure of the material occurring at low temperatures. Finally, a simultaneous fit of the viscosity and the conductivity of a molten salt yields parameters whose relationships are physically meaningful in terms of the viscous relaxation and conduction relaxation processes.