Abstract: A photo-luminescent/electro-luminescent display screen includes an electro-luminescent display, a photo-luminescent layer optically coupled to the electro-luminescent display. The photo-luminescent layer includes a transparent layer coated with an amorphous silica with fluorescence behavior. The screen further includes liquid crystal light valves which have a polarizer layer, a transparent glass substrate, a set of transparent electrodes which are formed by indium titanium oxide, a liquid crystal layer, a common transparent electrode formed by indium titanium oxide and a second polarizer layer.

Abstract: Living tissue cells such as from an animal or a plant are encapsulated in inorganic microspheres. An organosilicon precursor such as tetraethoxysilane or an organometallic precursor such as aluminum tri-n-propoxide is hydrolyzed in an aqueous acidic solution to form a gel forming solution. Tissue cells are mixed with a salt solution such as Hanks' Balanced Salt Solution to form a solution containing the tissue cells. The solution containing tissue cells and the gel forming solution are mixed to form a mixture. The mixture is mixed with an oil that is immiscible with the mixture and has a lower specific density than the mixture. The resultant mixture is stirred to form microspheres encapsulating the tissue cells. The mixture containing the tissue cells and the gel forming solution may be formed into droplets and added to the top of a column containing the oil to form the microspheres.

Abstract: A display screen include a plate, a plurality of microspheres and a mask. The plate has a plurality of holes arranged in a matrix array. Each microsphere has fluorescence behavior and is disposed in one of the holes in the plate. The mask has a plurality of light valves. Each light valve is aligned with the holes of the plate and is optically coupled to one of the microspheres. An ultraviolet light source is optically coupled to the microspheres through the mask. Each light valve is a liquid crystal mechanically coupled to the plate and electrically coupled to a display electronics of a display unit.

Abstract: Living animal tissue cells and microbial cells such as yeast cells are encapsulated in an inorganic gel prepared from an organosilicon. Encapsulation of tissue cells is performed by mixing an organosilicon precursor with a highly acidic aqueous solution to hydrolyze the organosilicon precursor and provide a gel forming solution, cooling the gel forming solution, forming a mixture of living tissue cells and Hank's balanced salt solution, adding a base solution to the gel forming solution, immediately thereafter adding the mixture containing tissue cells to the gel forming solution, and pouring the resultant mixture into a container where an inorganic gel forms encapsulating the tissue cells. The organosilicon precursor may be tetraethoxysilane, tetrabutoxysilane, tetramethoxysilane or tetrapropoxysilane.

Abstract: Living tissue cells such as animal or plant tissue cell are encapsulated in an inorganic gel by mixing an organosilicon precursor with an aqueous acidic solution to form a gel forming solution and hydrolyze the organosilicon precursor, cooling the gel forming solution, forming a mixture of living tissue cells and Hank's balanced salt solution, adding a base solution to the gel forming solution to form a mixture, immediately thereafter adding the mixture containing living tissue cells to the mixture containing the gel forming solution, and pouring the resultant mixture into a container where an inorganic gel forms encapsulating the cells. The organosilicon precursor may be tetraethoxysilane, tetrabutoxysilane, tetramethoxysilane or tetrapropoxysilane.

Abstract: The invention is a sensor which includes a porous microsphere and an optical fiber which having a proximal end and a distal end. The distal end of the optical fiber is coupled to the porous microsphere by an adhesive material. The porous microsphere is doped with a dopant. The dopant may be either an organic dye or an inorganic ion. A sensing apparatus includes the sensor, a spectrophotometer and a source of light. The spectrophotometer is coupled to the proximal end of the optical fiber. The source of light causes either the organic dye or the inorganic ion to fluoresce.

Abstract: A process for synthesizing amorphous silica microspheres having fluorescence behavior includes the steps of placing into a container an organosilicon precursorand with a highly acidic solution and rinsing with a solvate to remove excess of the organosilicon precursor from the amorphous silica microspheres. The organosilicon precursor and the highly acidic solution are immiscible. The process for synthesizing amorphous silica microspheres also includes the steps adding a dopant from a group consisting of rhodamine-6G, rhodamine-B, europium 3.sup.+, fluorescein, coumarin-120, coumarin-314T, thionine, uranium and uranium-sensitized europium, stirring the organosilicon precursor and the highly acidic solution to form droplets of the organosilicon precursor in the highly acidic solution whereby water in the highly acidic solution hydrolizes the droplets of the organosilicon precursor to form amorphous silica microspheres and rinsing with a solvant to remove excess of the organosilicon precursor therefrom.

Abstract: Diamond-containing ceramic composites useful as substrates and the like in the electronics industry as well as for abrasive and cutting applications and methods of making same are disclosed. More specifically, the sol-gel process is used to fabricate the composites by combining water, an organometallic precursor compound, alcohol or similar solvent between the water and the precursor compound, a catalyst, diamond powder and a thickening agent to form a moldable, wet, porous gel which can be dried at a temperature below the boiling point of any of the gel liquids to form a stabilized porous composite. The stabilized porous composite can be densified, by heat, in an essentially oxygen-free atmosphere to form a diamond-containing ceramic composite having low porosity.

Abstract: An improved sol-gel process is disclosed for fabricating large monoliths of silica or ceramic material, which are substantially free of cracks. Following formation of the gel, but before the gel is dried, the gel is subjected to a hydrothermal aging treatment, in which it is heated in an autoclave to a temperature of between 100.degree. and 300.degree. C., for a time duration of at least about one hour. This hydrothermal aging treatment causes silica (or ceramic) particles to migrate and fill small pores in the porous gel matrix, such that the average pore size increases and capillary forces encountered in the subsequent drying step are reduced to a point where cracking of the gel is substantially eliminated.