A glass/quartz composite structure comprises quartz grit, quartz powder and glass grit wherein the glass grit is in an amount greater than any other single material by weight of the composite structure (e.g. a combined weight of the quartz grit, quartz powder, glass grit, resin, and coupling agent). Natural stone components, which may include the quartz grit and quartz powder, may be in an amount greater than 30% by weight of the composite structure. The structure may be formed into a 1.2-1.5 cm thick slab for countertops using standard cabinet perimeter support. The slab may be made by mixing the quartz grit, quartz powder, glass grit, and binding resin, pouring the mixture in a mold, and compacting the mixture in the mold. Specific natural mineral components, decorative chips, and/or wet mixture pieces may be added to the composite structure to provide aesthetics of specific natural stones.

A vacuum insulated structure for use in an appliance includes an inner liner and an outer wrapper coupled to the inner liner. A vacuum insulated cavity is defined therebetween. An insulation material is disposed in the vacuum insulated cavity. The insulation material includes porous glass flakes.

A semi-transparent coating material for coating glass or glass ceramics includes at least one sol-gel hybrid-polymer coating system having a hybrid-polymer or inorganic sol-gel-based matrix, and nanoparticles and nanoscale pigments and/or dyes are added to the hybrid-polymer or inorganic sol-gel-based matrix.

Doped quartz glass components for use in a plasma-assisted manufacturing process contain at least one dopant which is capable of reacting with fluorine to form a fluoride compound, and the fluoride compound has a boiling point higher than that of SiF.sub.4. The doped quartz glass component has high dry-etch resistance and low particle formation, and has uniform etch removal when used in a plasma-assisted manufacturing process. The doped quartz glass has a microhomogeneity defined by (a) a surface roughness with an R.sub.a value of less than 20 nm after the surface has been subjected to a dry-etching procedure as specified in the description, or (b) a dopant distribution with a lateral concentration profile in which maxima of the dopant concentration are at an average distance apart of less than 30 μm.

A vacuum insulated structure for use in an appliance includes an inner liner and an outer wrapper coupled to the inner liner. A vacuum insulated cavity is defined therebetween. An insulation material is disposed in the vacuum insulated cavity. The insulation material includes porous glass flakes.

A method of forming an insulation material for a vacuum insulated structure includes heating glass flakes to at least a glass transition temperature of the glass flakes to induce a phase separation of the glass into an acid insoluble silica phase and an acid soluble phase. The glass flakes can be derived from a glass composition containing (by weight): SiO.sub.2 from about 40% to about 80%, B.sub.2O.sub.3 from about 10% to about 40%, Na.sub.2O from about 1% to about 10%, Li.sub.2O from about 0% to about 3%, CaO from about 0% to about 10%, ZnO from about 0% to about 5%, P.sub.2O.sub.5 from about 0% to about 10%, and Al.sub.2O.sub.3 from about 0% to about 10%. The method also includes a step of etching the glass flakes to dissolve the acid soluble phase to form porous glass flakes.

Systems and methods for forming a permanent plug in a subterranean formation include providing a solution of colloidal silica and pumping the colloidal silica into a bore of a subterranean well so that the colloidal silica penetrates pores of the subterranean formation. The colloidal silica within the pores of the subterranean formation is dehydrated to form a glass-like material within the pores of the subterranean formation.

A method for coating a composite structure, comprising applying a first slurry onto a surface of the composite structure, wherein the first slurry is a sol gel comprising a metal organic salt, a first carrier fluid, and a ceramic material, and heating the composite structure to a first sol gel temperature sufficient to form a sol gel-derived base layer on the composite structure.

A method for processing cullet includes detecting a plurality of types of glass contained in the cullet using colorimetry, calculating a quantity of different types of glass detected in the cullet, determining a quantity of oxide and/or a redox potential which are associated with the cullet depending on the quantity of the different types of glass detected in the cullet.

A method for coating a composite structure, comprising applying a first slurry onto a surface of the composite structure, wherein the first slurry is a sol gel comprising a metal organic salt, a first carrier fluid, and a ceramic material, and heating the composite structure to a first sol gel temperature sufficient to form a sol gel-derived base layer on the composite structure.