Since nanoporous three-dimensional structure based on SiO2 has been studied as a THz optical material [Optical Materials Express 10(9), 2100-2113 (2020)], in this work we study its fabrication properties. Porous SiO2 is represented by porous opal matrixes [Optical Materials 49, 208–212 (2015)], which are based on globules of amorphous SiO2 [Nano 8(4), 1350036 (2013)].
By the thermal treatment, the material is able to achieve materials with different stoichiometric composition and porosity, minimizing an amount of residual water, and obtaining pre-determined physics properties of material. We fabricated couple of cylindrical lenses and flat plates made of abovementioned nanoporous SiO2. We showed that simple-form components could be easily fabricated by grinding, while mechanical processing strategy depends on the annealing temperature used and the material strength.
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