Manufacture of silica bodies using sol-gel techniques

US7100400B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• Furukawa Electric NA · US

Inventors

• Suhas Bhandarkar · New Providence, US
• Yoram De Hazan · Oley, US
• John B. MacChesney · Lebanon, US
• Thomas Edward Stockert · Millburn, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Mar 4, 2003
• Grant date: Sep 5, 2006
• Expiry date: May 26, 2024

Classification

• Technology area (CPC C): Chemistry; Metallurgy
• CPC primary: C03B19/12
• WIPO field: Materials, metallurgy
• WIPO sector: Chemistry

Abstract

The use of large dense vitreous spherical (LDVS) silica powders for making sol-gel silica bodies has been found to have important advantages. Among these are higher gel strength, higher silica loading, more rapid aging and drying of the gel, a reduction in the amount of organic additives leading to reduced process time required for organic burn-off, and easier removal of contaminant particles due to their larger size. It was also discovered that combining LDVS particles with conventional non-spherical, lower density, aggregate particle mixtures, further improves the process.