Gradient-index glass rods of PbO---K2O---B2O3---SiO2 system prepared by the sol-gel process

A glass rod of the PbO---K₂O---B₂O₃---SiO₂ system having a radial gradient of refractive index has been prepared by the sol-gel process using aqueous solutions of lead acetate and potassium nitrate as the sources for index-modifying cations. A gel prepared by gelatinizing a sol from the mixture of tetramethoxysilane, tetraethoxysilane, and the aqueous solutions of boric acid and lead acetate was placed in an aqueous solution of potassium nitrate to form the concentration gradient of modifier cations by diffusion through the micropores of the gel. The glass rod of about 7 mm in diameter obtained by drying and sintering the gel had a refractive index of parabolic profile changing from the center toward the perimeter with a maximum difference of about 0.04.