The structure of a zinc metaphosphate glass. A reverse Monte Carlo study

A combination of six sets of independent experimental data has been used in a reverse Monte Carlo procedure to obtain information about the structure of a zinc metaphosphate glass. The model structural functions have been fitted simultaneously against structural functions obtained from neutron diffraction data, from four X-ray diffraction experiments carried out at different energies, and from an extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) spectroscopy data set. The final model structure is consistent with a description of the vitreous structure made of long phosphate chains, with the zinc ions interposed in between.