Abstract
Novara Technology (NTECH) has developed its own process for bulk silica glass based on Sol-Gel chemistry. The process is characterized by its thermomechanical ideal isotropy of the aerogel and the glass it forms. Remarkable glass properties are: ultrapurity up to 1 ppb or better for single metal contaminant, optical compatibility with high-temperature treatments up to 2000°C, precision mouldability without intrinsic dimensional limitations.
The process, that makes large use of the fumed silica Aerosil® in combination with TEOS, is characterized by the synthesis of monolithic material, i.e. a chemically manufactured body with shape and dimensions defined at reaction time, when the whole material is generated as a unit. Process implementation was achieved with the operation of a pilot plant. The road to industrialization besides volume scale-up, readily achieved for the chemical and hypercritical drying sector of the plant, was focused on getting a cost effective procedure.
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References
L. Costa and P. Chiurlo, European Patent EP705797.
C.J. Brinker and G.W. Scherer, Sol-Gel Science: The Physics and Chemistry of Sol-Gel Processing (Academic Press, San Diego, 1990), p. 102.
L. Costa, Key Engineering Materials 150, 40 (1998).
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Costa, L., Kerner, D. High Purity Glass Forms by a Colloidal Sol-Gel Process. Journal of Sol-Gel Science and Technology 26, 63–66 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1020733201056
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1020733201056