Characterization of porous glasses via small-angle scattering and other methods

A mesoporous glass prepared by a combined acid and alkaline leaching treatment of a phase-separated sodium borosilicate glass was investigated by use of small-angle X-ray scattering experiments, scanning electron microscopy, nitrogen adsorption and mercury intrusion. Based on the scattering intensity I(h) the correlation function and connected structure functions were derived. The analysis of the chord distribution of the mesoporous system yields a porosity c approximate to 50%. The mean pore diameter is (d) over bar = 16 nm. The mean distance between the centers of two adjacent mesopores is s approximate to 20 nm and the short-order-range is L approximate to 40 nm. A long-range order does not exist in the glass considered. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science Inc. All rights reserved.