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SANS Study of Critical Binary Fluids in Porous Glasses

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The basic steps in fabricating sol-gel glasses involve forming a solution of material that undergoes gelation and subsequent drying of the gel. There are a number of factors influencing the kinetics of the first step. SANS results indicate that fast gelation produces a clumpy glass, where the building blocks of the network are 80 - 100angstroms diameter SiO sub 2 aggregates. Slow gelation produces a smoother internal surface, which is random down to the smallest length scales probed (~ 30angstroms). Our results do not support the concept that the internal surfaces are rough and have fractal geometry.