Published online by Cambridge University Press: 15 February 2011
A number of investigators [1–6] have studied the sol-gel-glass transformation and the aging, drying and densification processes involved. However, monolithic, amorphous, large scale xerogels are still difficult to produce because of insufficient understanding of basic changes in microstructure during the sol-gel-glass transformation and the chemical reactions of the precursors, solvents and catalysts used. Some papers sugqest ways of obtaining monolithic gels by (1) increasing the mechanical strength of gel by aging [7]; (2) diminishing the magnitude of capillary forces by enlarging the pore size and/or decreasing the surface energy by using surfactants [8] (3) reducino the rate of evaporation of the solvent from the pores by using a semipermeable membrane during drying [9] (4); and eliminating the pore liquid-solid interface by hypercritical evacuation [10].