Crystallization Of Sol Gel-Derived Glasses

This article deals with the controlled crystallization of sol gel-derived glasses, glassy films, and amorphous gels, emphasizing some of the authors own work on silica-based films for optical and photonic applications. The review includes a discussion of crystallization processes in gels and sol gel-derived glasses compared to melted glasses, followed by selected examples of crystallization in transparent glass-ceramics, titania-based materials and other oxides. These examples illustrate also a variety of different experimental techniques used to follow the crystallization phenomena.