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Critical assessment of the glass-forming ability of inorganic, non-metallic materials
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DOI：10.1016/j.pmatsci.2026.101791.png)
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Abstract
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Glass-forming ability (GFA) is a fundamental parameter in glass science and technology, as it defines how readily a liquid vitrifies rather than crystallizes. Due to the relevance of this issue, this critical review intends to provide a comprehensive assessment of GFA in inorganic, non-metallic systems, with emphasis on oxide glasses. To elucidate glass formation, both structural and kinetic theories are examined, highlighting that vitrification results from the competition between kinetics and thermodynamics. The critical cooling rate is analyzed as the primary quantitative descriptor of GFA, while its experimental limitations—particularly the influence of heterogeneous nucleation—are critically discussed. Structural approaches, from Zachariasen’s classical rules to modern topological and spectroscopic insights, are evaluated as complementary tools that rationalize compositional trends in GFA. The review further evaluates experimental and computational methodologies for GFA estimation, such as TTT/CCT diagrams, glass stability parameters, molecular dynamics, and machine learning. A central conclusion is that no single parameter universally predicts GFA; instead, a multivariate framework combining viscosity, thermodynamic parameters, structural features, and kinetic constraints is required. Key challenges remain, including: (i) the lack of reliable intrinsic experimental GFA measurements free from heterogeneities; (ii) limited data for multicomponent commercial glasses; (iii) unresolved questions regarding the correlation between kinetic fragility and GFA; and (iv) the need to unify structural and kinetic descriptors into predictive models. Future research should prioritize high-purity experimental techniques (e.g., containerless processing), systematic datasets for complex systems, and machine learning approaches to enable robust, composition–structure–property–GFA relationships and accelerate glass design.
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