An optical glass includes, in terms of mol % of cations, a total amount of La.sup.3+, Y.sup.3+, and Gd.sup.3+ components falling within a range of from 5% to 65% and a total amount of Zr.sup.4+, Hf.sup.4+, and Ta.sup.5+ components failing within a range of from 5% to 65%, and a relationship expressed in Expression (1) given below is satisfied. (La.sup.3++Y.sup.3++Gd.sup.3+)(Zr.sup.4+Hf.sup.4++Ta.sup.3+) 400(%).sup.2

Provided is a method for producing a glass material by a containerless levitation technique, which enables production of a large-sized glass material. The method includes the steps of: preparing a forming member and a cover member 20, the forming member including a gas jetting portion 11 in which a plurality of gas jet holes 12 for use in levitating a block of glass raw material are formed, the cover member 20 which is capable of covering a peripheral portion of a gas jetting surface 13 of the gas jetting portion 12 and in which a controlling surface 21 controlling, near the peripheral portion of the gas jetting surface 13, a flow of gas jetted through the gas jet holes 12 is formed and an opening 25 capable of releasing the gas to outside is formed; placing the block of glass raw material on top of the gas jetting surface 13 and covering the peripheral portion of the gas jetting surface 13 with the cover member 20; and heating the block of glass raw material to melting while holding the block of glass raw material levitated by jetting the gas through the gas jet holes 12 and then cooling the melted block of glass raw material.

One aspect relates to a process for the preparation of a quartz glass body including: i.) providing a silicon dioxide granulate, ii.) making a first glass melt out of the silicon dioxide granulate, iii.) making a glass product out of at least one part of the glass melt, iv.) reducing the size of the glass product to obtain a quartz glass grain, v.) making a further glass melt from the quartz glass grain and vi.) making a quartz glass body out of at least one part of the further glass melt. Furthermore, one aspect relates to a quartz glass body obtainable by this process. Furthermore, one aspect relates to a reactor, which is obtainable by further processing of the quartz glass body.

Provided is a method that enables a crystal-free glass material to be stably produced by a containerless levitation technique. A glass material 30 has a first surface 31 facing a forming surface 10a and a second surface 32 located on a side opposite to the forming surface 10a. The first surface 31 includes a central portion 31a and a peripheral portion 31b located outside of the central portion 31a. Gas is jetted through a gas jet hole at a flow velocity and a flow volume at which a glass material satisfying R.sub.2<R.sub.3<R.sub.1 is formed where R.sub.1 represents a radius of curvature of the central portion 31a, R.sub.2 represents a radius of curvature of the peripheral portion 31b, and R.sub.3 represents a radius of curvature of the second surface 32.

Proppants and methods for their preparation are described herein. The proppants can be prepared by a process comprising (a) directing the molten slag material at a temperature above 1300 C. to an atomizing apparatus to output the molten slag material in the form of atomized droplets, (b) projecting the droplets of the molten slag material, wherein a substantial portion of the droplets at least partially solidifies in flight, (c) maintaining the at least partially solidified droplets at a temperature between 700 C. and 1300 C. to provide proppant particles having a crystalline phase; and (d) cooling the proppant particles to below 700 C. Methods for hydraulic fracturing of a well in a subterranean formation having a fracturing stress are also described herein.

Provided is a magneto-optic element that enables easy size reduction of an optical isolator. A magneto-optic element is formed of two or more magnetic members joined together.

The present invention discloses a glass composition for an eco-friendly detergent, and a method for preparing glass powder for an eco-friendly detergent by using same, wherein the glass composition based on borate-based glass containing large amounts of MgO, CaO, K.sub.2O, Na.sub.2O, and B.sub.2O.sub.3 and a trace amount of SiO.sub.2 exhibits maximized elution of ions such as K.sup.+, Na.sup.+, Ca.sup.2+, Mg.sup.2+, etc., whereby a high concentration of eluate can be prepared. As a result, the glass composition for an eco-friendly detergent and the method for preparing glass powder for an eco-friendly detergent allow for the repeated use of a certain amount of glass and can uniformly maintain cleansing performance even to 40 cleansing rounds or more.

Embodiments of the present invention pertain to antimicrobial glass compositions, glasses and articles. The articles include a glass, which may include a glass phase and a cuprite phase. In other embodiments, the glasses include as plurality of Cu.sup.1+ ions, a degradable phase including B.sub.2O.sub.3, P.sub.2O.sub.5 and K.sub.2O and a durable phase including SiO.sub.2. Other embodiments include glasses having a plurality of Cu.sup.1+ ions disposed on the surface of the glass and in the glass network and/or the glass matrix. The article may also include a polymer. The glasses and articles disclosed herein exhibit a 2 log reduction or greater in a concentration of at least one of Staphylococcus aureus, Enterobacter aerogenes, Pseudomonas aeruginosa bacteria, Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus, and E. coli, under the EPA Test Method for Efficacy of Copper Alloy as a Sanitizer testing conditions and under Modified JIS Z 2801 for Bacteria testing conditions. In some embodiments, the glass and articles exhibit a 2 log reduction or greater in a concentration of Murine Norovirus under Modified JIS Z 2801 Test for Viruses testing conditions.

A quantum dot composite structure and a method for forming the same are provided. The quantum dot composite structure includes: a glass particle including a glass matrix and a plurality of quantum dots located in the glass matrix, wherein at least one of the plurality of quantum dots includes an exposed surface in the glass matrix; and an inorganic protective layer disposed on the glass particle and covering the exposed surface.

A spherical inorganic oxide powder wherein a volume-based cumulative 50% diameter D50 is 4-55 ?m; and in a cross-section of a cured body containing an epoxy resin and the spherical inorganic oxide powder at a mass ratio of 2:1, when a total of 5000 particles with a maximum diameter of 51 ?m or larger are observed in a field of view at 100? magnification using a scanning electron microscope, a total number of air bubbles having a maximum diameter of 1 ?m or larger and smaller than 10 ?m is 40 or fewer and a total number of air bubbles having a maximum diameter of 10 ?m or larger is 30 or fewer.