In this study, foamed glass was fabricated by adjusting the final heat treatment temperature. The heat treatment temperatures ranged from 900 °C to 1,100 °C at 50 °C intervals. Blast furnace slag (BFS) powder was mixed with foaming agent such as CaCO3, Ca3(PO4)2, Na2SiO3 and NaOH, pressed under compression, then heat treated to form a porous and stable glass structure. Their optical, thermal, and physical properties, including thermal coefficient, density, glass transition temperature (Tg) and X-ray diffraction patterns, were investigated. As the heat treatment temperature increased, the apparent density decreased from 1.44 g/cm3 to 1.03 g/cm3 while the porosity increased from 46.03 % to 58.89 %. Thermal coefficient decreased from 9.997 × 10-6 /K to 9.417 × 10-6 /K. The main XRD peak gradually shifted toward a lower angle, indicating an expansion of the glass network structure. Results showed that foamed glass based on BFS, developed with a porous structure, can be used as an effective thermal insulation material, suggesting the potential for the commercial utilization of slag.

This study investigates the vitrification of blast furnace slag (BFS) by adjusting the content of steel slag and the added amount of E-glass. SaEb glasses were prepared with a composition of x wt% BFS and (100-x) wt% E-glass (x = 10, 20, 30, 40, and 50). Each composition was melted in a platinum crucible under atmospheric conditions at 1,500 °C for 2 h, and transparent glasses with a transmittance exceeding 75 % were fabricated. All SaEb glasses exhibit an amorphous pattern, indicating successful vitrification. We also analyzed their optical, thermal, and physical properties, including Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), glass transition temperature (Tg), and x-ray pattern. As the E-glass content increased, the glass transition temperature of blast furnace slag-based glass decreased from 765 °C to 734 °C due to the weakening of the SiO4 unit structure. In all compositions, the glass transition–crystallization temperature difference exceeded 220 °C, confirming the glasses stability for slag fiber applications. The blast furnace slag-based glass exhibits potential for application in slag fiber production, and is expected to provide fundamental data for future studies on related materials.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the possibility of application of microwave energy for the fabrication of polymer/clay nanocomposite. APES/Clay nanocomposites were prepared at 130℃ for 30min with various content of clay by melt-intercalation method under classical and microwave heating source. APES/Clay samples were characterized by the means of X-ray diffractometry(XRD), thermal gravimetric analysis(TGA), and rheometric dynamic analysis(RDA). It was found that intercalated or exfoliated state was obtained in the samples according to the condition of organic modification, clay content, and heating source.