Preparation and characterization of mechanical properties of foam glass for artificial floating island carrier

Base compositions of the foam glasses in this study include commercial silica, alumina, boric acid, sodium carbonate, potassium carbonate, carbon powder, and disodium hydrogen phosphate. The foam glasses with partial Na2O replaced by Li2O were prepared and investigated as a possible artificial floating island carrier of water purifying unit. The effects of Li2O dosage on the density, mechanical strengths, and microstructures were studied. Foam glass with 15 mol% Na2O replaced by Li2O displayed a good compressive strength, 3.582 MPa, while the bulk density was relatively low, about 0.398 g/cm3. The chemical stability of samples was evaluated with inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometer, which showed low ion dissolution content in different pH dissolutions. The experimental results showed that the foam glass sample with 15 mol% Na2O replaced by Li2O exhibited excellent comprehensive properties, and the reason may contribute to the mixed alkali effect that proper amount of Li+ could impede the migration of large-radius ions like Na+ and K+ and thus could improve the glass network structure