New Routes to Multicomponent Oxide Glasses

Abstract

Abstract Multicomponent oxide glasses can be produced not only by melting methods but also by hydrolysis and condensation of alkoxide complexes with several metals. This requires temperatures only up to the transformation range of the glass in question, usually 500–600 °C. The process does not pass through the molten phase. It is possible to obtain glasses or polycrystalline substances, depending on the composition. The method is particularly suitable for the production of thin, transparent multicomponent oxide layers of almost any composition on substrates. Some of these layers provide protection against climatic attack or against oxidation.