A NOVEL METHOD OF PREPARATION OF INORGANIC GLASSES BY MICROWAVE IRRADIATION

Microwave heating is shown to provide an extremely facile and automati cally temperature-controlled route to the synthesis of glasses. Glass- forming compositions of several traditional and novel glasses were mel ted in a kitchen microwave oven, typically within 5 min and quenched i nto glasses. This is only a fraction of the time required in normal gl ass preparation methods. The rapidity of melting minimizes undesirable features such as loss of components of the glass, variation of oxidat ion states of metal ions, and oxygen loss leading to reduced products in the glass such as metal particles. This novel procedure of preparat ion is applicable when at least one of the components of the glass-for ming mixture absorbs microwaves. (C) 1994 Acamedic Press, Inc.