Abstract
The batch materials used in glass production are often too coarse to allow phase evolution measurements by in situ high‐temperature x‐ray diffraction (HTXRD). Reducing the particle sizes to accommodate these measurements changes the reaction kinetics and can alter the reaction pathway. Unlike conventional laboratory XRD, which operates in reflection mode and analyzes the surface region of finely ground powder, neutron diffraction can be used to characterize as‐received batch materials by means of an intense beam which penetrates through a bulk sample. In this study, the phase evolution in a glass‐forming batch made with fine batch materials was probed in situ by both HTXRD and time‐of‐flight neutron diffraction to determine the similarities and differences between measurements by the two techniques. Then, the same composition, prepared using the coarser, as‐received size distributions of the same batch materials, was studied by both techniques, demonstrating the unique capability of neutron diffraction to analyze material which is too coarse for the HTXRD, and to reveal the effect of the particle size distribution on the reaction kinetics.