Abstract: A substantially dehydroxylated glass is formed by impregnating a dry porous silica gel with a nitrogen-containing organic compound in an organic solvent capable of solubilizing that compound. The impregnated gel is then sintered in a non-oxidizing atmosphere to form a substantially dehydroxylated, fully-densified silica glass. The gel is typically formed by a sol-gel process. The nitrogen-containing organic compound can be guanidine compounds, urea, or mixtures thereof.

Abstract: Alkali metal- and alkaline earth metal-oxide aluminosilicate amorphous glass articles can be strengthened by providing such glass with a cerium dioxide sensitizer and a nucleating agent, irradiating the article with electromagnetic radiation, heating the irradiated article to a temperature between about the annealing and softening points of the glass, and cooling the heated, irradiated glass article. The treated article has a thick lower layer of the amorphous glass, but a thin layer of this glass at the surface of the article has been converted to a crystalline state. In this surface layer, some of the cerium has been converted from a +3 to a +4 ionic state and some of the metal element in the nucleating agent has been changed to a metallic state. The adjacent location of the lower and surface layers creates large compressive stresses at the surface layer which imparts great strength to the glass article.