Glasses and ceramics from colloids

This paper concerns the technical difficulties associated with the fabrication of amorphous and crystalline bodies from colloidal suspensions. When particles are grown in solution, it can be difficult to achieve homogeneity and prevent agglomeration, and the rate of production of particles is slow. Particle growth in the vapor phase is efficient, but the accessible range of compositions is smaller, and the particle size distribution cannot be as closely controlled as in solution methods. Future developments are likely to remove these limitations, so that colloidal methods will be used for the production of oxides, halides, and chalcogenides with high purity. Both glasses and fine-grained ceramics will be prepared in this way. The colloidal approach complements the sol-gel method by offering similarly high purity and homogeneity in larger pieces, but with higher firing temperatures.