Abstract: A process for producing a thin film of a fluoride comprising reacting a gaseous fluorinating agent and gas of a volatile organometallic compound in a gas phase in a reactor, wherein a plasma of the gaseous fluorinating agent obtained by activating the gaseous fluorinating agent by microwave under a condition of electron cyclotron resonance is used as a fluorine source, and the fluoride is deposited on a substrate by reacting the plasma of the gaseous fluorinating agent with the gas of a volatile organometallic compound at outside of an area of generation of the plasma. A thin film of a fluoride which contains very little impurities such as carbon, oxygen, and organic substances, and is highly pure, transparent, and consolidated is produced.

Abstract: Transparent methyl-modified silica gel is produced by reacting methyltrialkoxysilane or a mixture thereof with a tetraalkoxy-, trialkoxy- or dialkoxysilane other than the methyltrialkoxysilane with a defined quantity of water at a neutral or acidic pH in the presence of a catalytically effective amount of a metal complex soluble in the methyltrialkoxysilane, and aging the resulting hydrolysate sol to form a gel. Self-sustained films of the transparent gel are produced by spreading the hydrolysate sol onto a nonadherent substrate followed by aging or drying. The gel finds use as a host material for doping optically functional molecules.

Abstract: A process for vitrifying liquid radioactive waste is provided.In this process, a solution of a water-soluble vitrifying-facilitating inorganic compound in liquid radioactive waste is mixed with a solution obtained by hydrolyzing an alkyl silicate and then the solution mixture is left to gel. Thereafter, the resulting gel is irradiated with microwave to calcine the gel, and the calcined gel is further heated to melt and then cooled to obtain a vitrified product.