PURPOSE: To mass produce quartz glass at a low cost in synthesizing the quartz glass from a metal alkoxide as at least a raw material at a low temperature by the sol-gel method, by placing sheets of dry gel on top of each other, and sintering the resultant sheets.
CONSTITUTION: Aqueous hydrochloric acid is added to hydrolyze ethyl silicate under vigorous agitation. Fine powder silica is then added to the resultant solution, uniformly dispersed and adjusted to 4W6pH. The resultant sol is then added to a suitable container, and gelatinized, contracted and dried to give sheets of dry gel 2. For example, 10 sheets of the resultant dry gel 2 can be placed on top of each other in a sintering furnace 1, and sintered to produce 10 sheets of transparent quartz glass at a time.
KANBE SADAO
MIYASHITA SATORU
TAKEUCHI TETSUHIKO
NAGAFUNE HARUO
