Fourier transform infrared absorption spectroscopy has been utilized to characterize the structure of porous silica gel films, both deposited on c‐Si substrates and free standing. The films were either dried at room temperature or subjected to partial densification at 400–450 °C. The spectra of the gel films are compared to those of thermal SiO₂ grown on c‐Si and to Kramers–Kronig analysis of the reflection spectra of bulk SiO₂ gels and v‐SiO₂. The gel films show small frequency shifts compared to the latter spectra and they also exhibit new bands due to the presence of OH groups, although very little molecular water or residual organic species were found. The results are interpreted in terms of the gel structure. Compared to the thermal oxide, the sharp peak near 1070 cm⁻¹ is narrower for the gels and the spread in intertetrahedral angles is estimated at 24° and 27° for room temperature dried and partially densified gels, respectively, compared to 33° for the thermal oxide. This is in agreement with a state of strain in the Si—O—Si bridges of the gels near the surface of the pores. The gel films have also a stronger shoulder near 1200 cm⁻¹, whose intensity decreases with heat treatment of the gel. Its nature is related to the longitudinal optical (LO) component of the high‐frequency vibration of SiO₂ and it is suggested that the gel pores may account for the activation of the LO component.

The aim of this study was to propose and validate a new unified method for testing dissolution rates of bioactive glasses and their variants, and the formation of calcium phosphate layer formation on their surface, which is an indicator of bioactivity. At present, comparison in the literature is difficult as many groups use different testing protocols. An ISO standard covers the use of simulated body fluid on standard shape materials but it does not take into account that bioactive glasses can have very different specific surface areas, as for glass powders. Validation of the proposed modified test was through round robin testing and comparison to the ISO standard where appropriate. The proposed test uses fixed mass per solution volume ratio and agitated solution. The round robin study showed differences in hydroxyapatite nucleation on glasses of different composition and between glasses of the same composition but different particle size. The results were reproducible between research facilities. Researchers should use this method when testing new glasses, or their variants, to enable comparison between the literature in the future.

Glass ceramics are a known class of polycrystalline ceramic materials, where, depending on the glass matrix and the particular crystalline phases, one can obtain materials with improved mechanical, thermal, electrical or optical properties. The characteristics and applications of optical glass ceramics are reviewed, with particular emphasis on rare-earth-doped transparent glass ceramics for photonics, including the search for new transparent glass ceramic compositions and the development of suitable methods to process such materials into functional devices.