Sol-Gel Silica: Properties, Processing and Technology Transfer

A unique perspective of twentieth century research and development in materials science. It summarizes the fifteen years of sol-gel silica processing research leading to the commercial development of bioactive gel-glasses for medical applications. It demonstrates the combined use of quantum mechanical molecular modeling and spectroscopy to solve environmental stability problems. A final chapter addresses the topic of Technology Transfer - how to transfer technology from the laboratory to a profitable commercial enterprise using examples from various chapters in the book.

The Concept
Sol-Gel Kinetics
Aging
Drying
Stabilization
Densification
Laser Densification
Gel-Silica Optics
Porous Gel-Silica Optical Matrices
Biological Implications
Technology Transfer of Gel-Silica Optics
Acknowledgment
References
Index