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Evolution of the Mechanical Properties During the Gel–Glass Process

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Handbook of Sol-Gel Science and Technology

Abstract

Different kinds of structure in alcogels and aerogels (fractal or not fractal) can be synthesized by a control of the chemical parameters and also by different steps in the preparation such as sintering and plastic compaction. The porosity of the gels is affected either by the adjustment of the gelifying concentration, by a precise control of the viscous flow sintering process, or by an isostatic pressure deformation. The different kinds of gels cover the whole range of porosity between 99% and 0%, and their mechanical properties (elastic modulus, strength, toughness) are strongly dependent on the porosity but also on their structure. We follow the mechanical properties of the over the whole process alcogel – aerogel – glass. They vary by five orders of magnitude as a function of the density, and for the same relative density, the elastic modulus and strength can increase by one order of magnitude due to a change in connectivity. The influence of the sintering process compared to isostatic pressure on the mechanical properties is explained by the associated structural changes.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank the editors of Journal of Non-Crystalline Solids, Journal of Sol-Gel Science and Technology and the European Physical Journal for their permission to publish figures here reported.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. IMBE, CNRS, IRD, Aix Marseille Université, Avignon Université, Marseille, France

    Thierry Woignier

  2. IRD ‐ Campus Agro Environnemental Caraïbes, Le Lamentin, Martinique, France

    Thierry Woignier

  3. Laboratoire Charles Coulomb, Université Montpellier 2, Montpellier Cedex 5, France

    Florence Despetis & Jean Phalippou

  4. Laboratoire Charles Coulomb, Montpellier Université, Le Lamentin, Université Montpellier 2, Place E. Bataillon, 34095, Cedex 5, Montpellier, France

    P. Etienne

  5. Faculté des Sciences et Techniques de Tanger, B.P. 416, 90000, Tanger, Morocco

    Adil Alaoui

  6. PRIME Verre, Montpellier, France Le Lamentin, PAT du Millénaire, 34000, Martinique, France

    L. Duffours

Authors
  1. Thierry Woignier
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  2. Florence Despetis
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  3. P. Etienne
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  4. Adil Alaoui
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  5. L. Duffours
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  6. Jean Phalippou
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Thierry Woignier .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Materials Science and Engineering, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ, USA

    Lisa Klein

  2. Instituto de Cerámica y Vidrio, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), Madrid, Spain

    Mario Aparicio

  3. Department of Chemistry, Lehman College, The City University of New York, Bronx, NY, USA

    Andrei Jitianu

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Woignier, T., Despetis, F., Etienne, P., Alaoui, A., Duffours, L., Phalippou, J. (2018). Evolution of the Mechanical Properties During the Gel–Glass Process. In: Klein, L., Aparicio, M., Jitianu, A. (eds) Handbook of Sol-Gel Science and Technology. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-32101-1_43

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