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Fractal Growth During Gelation

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  25 February 2011

Edward J. A. Pope*
Affiliation:
MATECH, 31304 Via Colinas, Ste 102, Westlake, CA 91362
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Abstract

Sol-gel processing has emerged as an important new technology for the fabrication of a wide variety of glass, ceramic, and composite materials. In order to better understand and control the gelation process, a theoretical model has been developed which quantitatively links features of fractal growth with measurable properties of a solution during the sol-gel transition. The result of that effort is the fractal growth model of gelation (FGMG) which expresses the solution viscosity, light scattering, and refractive index changes as a funtion of time and the fractal dimension. In this paper, the application of FGMG to silica gels and multi-component system, such as titanium aluminosilicates, is presented.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 1992

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References

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