Sol-gel synthesis of amorphous five-component oxide systems using crown ether complexation: ZBLAN gels

Five-component hydrous oxide precursor gels comprised of zirconium, barium, lanthanum, aluminum and sodium cations (ZBLAN precursor gel), useful for synthesis of heavy metal fluoride glasses, were prepared via a sol-gel process. Crown ether complexation of soduum cation was used to prepare a gel that was amorphous and chemically uniform on a nanometer scale as determined by electron microscopy, chemical analysis and X-ray diffraction. Characteristics of this gel are described in detail along with the impact of the chemical processing method on the structural and chemical homogeneity of the system.