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Science 24 February 1989:
Vol. 243. no. 4894, pp. 1023 - 1027
DOI: 10.1126/science.243.4894.1023
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Articles

Polymers, Fractals, and Ceramic Materials

DALE W. SCHAEFER 1

1 Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, NM 87185.

Concepts borrowed from polymer science have been applied to tailor the properties of inorganic materials, especially those derived from amorphous precursors. Fractal geometry can be used to characterize macromolecular precursors and to relate their structures to kinetic growth processes. Within the silica system, for example, it is possible to manipulate the conditions of solution polymerization to yield a variety of macromolecules from branched chains to smooth colloidal particles.

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Science. ISSN 0036-8075 (print), 1095-9203 (online)