Vitreous Applications

The manufacture of glass and other vitreous products accounts for more than one half of all borate use worldwide. The history of borate use in glass manufacture has been reviewed [92]. 

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Thermal Applications. The protection of precious-metal thermocouples in high temperature pyrometry is an important appHcation of vitreous siHca. Although satin tubing is usually employed, transparent tubes are superior for protecting couples when used in a reducing atmosphere (220). 

Optical Applications. Vitreous siUca is ideal for many optical appHcations because of its excellent ultraviolet transmission, resistance to radiation darkening, optical polishing properties, and physical and chemical stabiUty. It is used for prisms, lenses, cells, wiadows, and other optical components where ultraviolet transmission is critical. Cuvettes used ia scatter and spectrophotometer cells are manufactured from fused siUca and fused quart2 because of the transmissive properties and high purity (222). 

Mechanical Applications. The volume of vitreous sHica used for fibers is a very smaH part of the total consumption. However, some interesting and significant appHcations have been developed ia the laboratory, particularly ia the area of measurements. 

Antimony trioxide has numerous practical applications (1). Its principal use is as a flame retardant in textiles and plastics (see Flame RETARDANTS Flame retardants in textiles). It is also used as a stabilizer for plastics, as a catalyst, and as an opacifier in glass (qv), ceramics (qv), and vitreous enamels... 

Frit may be milled dry or wet. The long established dry process is used for cast iron baths and for chemical plant. Vitreous enamel application by a dry electrostatic method is being used on an increasing scale. In these cases, the frit is milled alone, or with inorganic colouring or refractory additives. This is achieved in cylinders using balls of porcelain, steatite or more dense alumina, or with pebbles of flint, to produce a fine powder of predetermined size. 

Although vitreous silica is nominally a homogeneous isotropic amorphous material, and should normally remain so during its service life, it is in fact in a metastable condition. The tendency to revert to crystalline forms with attendant deterioration in mechanical durability places severe limitations on the range of applications. Figure 18.2 illustrates the polymorphic forms of silica, and the dimensional changes accompanying each transition. 

A similar, but highly porous, vitreous carbon material—reticulated vitreous carbon (RVC)—has found widespread application for flow analysis and spectro-electrochemistry (25). As shown in Figure 4-10, RVC is an open-pore ( spongelike ) material such a network combines the electrochemical properties of glassy carbon with many structural and hydrodynamic advantages. These include a very high surface area ( 66 cm2 cm-3 for the 100-ppi grade), 90-97% void volume, and a low resistance to fluid flow. 

Coating operations. This includes all of the operations associated with preparation and application of the vitreous coating. Usually this incorporates ball milling, slip transport, application of slip to the workpieces, cleaning and recovery of faulty parts, and firing (fusing) of the enamel coat. 

Astrakanite, 5 785t 22 846, 863 Astringents, 7 847-848 Astronomy, vitreous silica applications in, 22 443-444... 

Neutron irradiation of silicon, 22 487 of vitreous silica, 22 435 Neutron moderators, deuterium application, 8 460... 

Optical absorption, of hydrogenated and hydrogen- free films, 17 206 Optical amplifiers, 11 145-146 Optical applications U.S. patents in, 12 614t of vitreous silica, 22 440-441 Optical cavities, 14 849 Optical cells, for high pressure measurements, 13 417-419 Optical coatings, cerium application,... 

Optical elements, liquid crystalline materials in, 15 116—117 Optical emission spectra, 14 833-837 plutonium, 19 671—673 Optical emission spectroscopy (OES), archaeological materials, 5 742 Optical fiber(s), 13 391-392 24 618 defects in, 11 145 drawing of, 11 141-145 fabrication of, 11 135-141 health care applications for, 13 397 overcladding of, 11 144 remote measurements using, 14 234 in sensors, 22 270-271 sol-gel processing of, 11 144-145 strength of, 11 141-145 vitreous silica in, 22 444 Optical fiber sensors, 12 614-616 Optical germanium, 12 556... 

Siloxane compounds, in vitreous silica manufacture, 22 414 Siloxane materials, 20 240 Siloxane oligomers, in silicone polymerization, 22 555-556 Siloxanols, silylation and, 22 703 Silsesquioxane hybrids, 13 549 Silsesquioxanes, 15 188, 22 589-590 SilvaGas process, 3 696, 697 Silver (Ag), 22 636-667. See also Silver compounds. See Ag entries Argentothiosulfate complexes Batch desilverizing Lead-silver alloys Palladium-silver alloy membranes analytical methods for, 22 650-651 applications of, 22 636-637, 657-662 as bactericide, 22 656, 657, 660 barium alloys with, 3 344 in bimetallic monetary system, 22 647-648 in cast dental gold alloys, 8 307t coke formation on, 5 266 colloidal precipitation color, 7 343t colloidal suspensions, 7 275 color, 7 334, 335... 

Transparent vitreous silica chemical durability of, 22 417 density of, 22 422 devitrification of, 22 421 manufacture of, 22 412-415 viscosity of, 22 424t Transpeptidases, 3 27 Transport. See also Transportation of ascorbic acid, 25 771 of hydrated lime, 15 56-57 of quicklime, 15 56 of radioactive waste, 25 855-856 in waste collection, 25 869-870 Transportation, 25 322-348. See also Shipping Transport aluminum applications, 2 340-341 cost of, 25 323... 

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