Thermogravimetric insights into decomposition and lifetime prediction in STSI glass-ceramics

This article investigates the thermal kinetics, degradation behavior, and lifetime prediction of Se 78-x Te 20 Sn 2 In x (0 ≤ x ≤ 6) chalcogenide alloys using thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) over a temperature range of 300 °C–600 °C. Kinetic parameters were extracted using isothermal methods, including the Matusita-Sakka, Augis-Bennett, and Kissinger methods. By applying model-fitting approaches, we calculate the degradation energy ( E d ) using the maximum degradation temperature ( T d ) extracted from the DTG plots. The degradation temperature shows a dependence consistent with the Lasocka relation. Iso-conversional methods were also employed, utilizing the model-free approaches. A newly discovered logistic decay function is introduced to model mass loss phenomena, enabling the extraction of kinetic parameters such as the decomposition rate constant ( λ d ) and decomposition time ( t d ). Compositions STSI-1 and STSI-3 exhibit prolonged lifetimes and thermal resilience, underscoring their potential for applications in non-volatile memory devices, photonic switches, and radiation shielding.