Abstract: A process which uses sol-gel to process oxide-based monoliths which are virtually free of cracks, without nullifying the desired attributes of the oxide-based monoliths. The method comprises substantially drying a wet porous gel monolith by removing a portion of the liquid from the pores of the gel monolith while the gel monolith remains wet, shrinking in size, and becoming correspondingly more dense, then removing the remaining portion of the liquid from the pores of the gel monolith such that the outer region of the gel monolith is not dried before the inner region of the gel monolith is dried. The gel monolith is substantially dried under conditions in which the liquid evaporation rate is no greater than the pore liquid diffusion rate.

Abstract: The present invention relates to an illumination fiber optic (20) or an assembly including illumination fiber optics contained in a first polymeric layer (26) or in a channel and the first layer or channel including intumescent or other fire retardant material, and further contained within a second outer layer (28) or jacket made of a polymeric material which has the property of containing the combination sufficient to hinder the propagation of the fire and eventually extinguishing the flame. The fiber optic may be side light emitting, with the core, layer, channel and fire retardant materials being transparent or translucent, or may be end light emitting with the fiber optic being a layer core fiber optic and the outer layer being opaque.