The nature of the glass transition in a silica-rich oxide melt.

The atomic-scale dynamics of the glass-to-liquid transition are, in general, poorly understood in inorganic materials. Here, two-dimensional magic angle spinning nuclear magnetic resonance spectra collected just above the glass transition of K(2)Si(4)O(9) at temperatures as high as 583 degrees C are presented. Rates of exchange for silicon among silicate species, which involves Si-O bond breaking, have been measured and are shown to be closely related in time scale to those defined by viscosity. Thus, even at viscosities as high as 10(10) pascal seconds, local bond breaking (in contrast to the cooperative motion of large clusters) is of major importance in the control of macroscopic flow and diffusion.