http://worldcat.org/entity/work/id/350612849

Rare elements in glasses

The rapid expansion of glasses as the materials of choice for optical, electronic, and other applications has led to a radical expansion in the use of the 75 or so elements not extensively employed in traditional glasses, i.e. the "rare elements in glasses" indicated by the title of this volume. Although some of these elements are not "rare" in the sense of availability, they are indeed rarely used historically in inorganic glasses. Many of these elements are becoming much more commonly used as a result of either special properties which they impart to glasses, the discovery of new phenomena, or as a result of decreases in cost which now permits the wider use of elements which were formerly known to be desirable, but were simply too expensive for extensive use. The present volume summarizes recent studies of glasses containing a number of the more important of these elements and can be divided into three sections on the basis of the elements considered. The first and largest, section deals with the use of lanthanides and actinides in glasses. Applications areas discussed in detail include the treatment of cancer, non-linear optics, Faraday rotators, magnetic behavior, and very high temperature sealing glasses. The second section consists of three chapters emphasizing the potential role of gallium in optical glass technology and as an aid in understanding the role of the more common aluminum in glass structures. The final section of this book presents three reviews of a variety of "rare elements" which are finding wider application in glasses due to the discovery of new applications or to decreases in cost which allows them to replace less effective elements in existing applications.

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