Gel Route to Glass and Ceramics

The review of sol-gel methods of preparation of glass and ceramics is given. There are two major modifications of these methods: alkoxide methods and particulate methods. The first group consists in formation of continuous network by hydrolysis and polymerization of metal alkoxides. The second method starts from ready colloidal particles which, when dispersed in a liquid, form sol able to gelation. The major part of the lecture will be devoted to the studies of particulate gel high-silica glasses by the author and his co-authors.