Porous Glass as a Desiccant
Porous glass can act as an effective desiccant to preserve precision and functionality in medical, optics, and CO2 laser applications.
Mitigating moisture where it matters most
Moisture is a natural occurrence that is commonly encountered in everyday life. However, for sensitive high-performance electronics, the intrusion of moisture can have catastrophic consequences. Damage caused by moisture to electrical and optical components can lead to reduced functionality or even total failure.There are established methods for mitigating moisture presence in ordinary consumer products, but what about the circumstances in which even the slightest detectable presence of moisture can result in damaging effects? This is where porous glasses serve an important purpose: with substantial surface area and the appropriate surface chemistry, porous glasses can act as a high-performance desiccant to protect moisture-sensitive electronics in applications that include medical devices, precision optics, and CO2 lasers, among others.
The function and importance of desiccants
Desiccants are substances that act as drying or dehumidifying agents. The most well-known example of a desiccant comes in the form of a small silica-filled bag that is typically found in consumer products packaging. These packets keep things dry during shipping and storage. SCHOTT porous glasses perform an essentially identical function as silica packets. While silica packets keep a general environment of low moisture, SCHOTT porous glasses – with their rigidity and fully customizable shaping options – enable the desiccant to be tailored to the space and affixed securely. This is advantageous in uses where even minute moisture presence can be damaging.
Keeping it dry in moisture-critical applications
SCHOTT porous glass is an exceptional fit in its use as a desiccant for moisture mitigation requirements. The shape adaptability and customization options of porous glass allow for seamless integration without major change to existing systems and component designs – it can be designed to fit existing applications rather than the other way around.SCHOTT porous glass supports precise functionality in optics and lasers
SCHOTT porous glass desiccants serve an important purpose in mitigating the potentially damaging effects of moisture presence for medical devices, precision optics, and CO2 lasers. When the requirements are particularly stringent for complete moisture prevention and unwavering performance, porous glass can serve as a highly effective desiccant that has the capability to be customized for fitment directly in sensitive areas without major design changes to existing optics / lasers components or systems. Working with a glass expert with experience in porous glass manufacturing and fitment, especially in the case of laser systems, can help deliver reliability, longevity, and peace of mind thanks to effective moisture prevention in areas where it is a crucial requirement.
