Glass is a versatile and transparent material typically produced by heating a mixture of silica (sand), soda ash, and lime to a high temperature until it melts and becomes liquid. When cooled rapidly, this mixture solidifies into glass without forming a regular crystalline structure, giving it its characteristic smooth and uniform surface. Glass can be further treated or combined with other materials to enhance its properties, such as strength, thermal insulation, or opacity. It is widely used in various applications, from everyday objects like windows and bottles to sophisticated uses in fiber optics, solar panels, and scientific instruments. The properties of glass, such as its ability to be recycled without degradation of quality and its inert nature, make it a sustainable and environmentally friendly material. Its transparency also allows for the efficient passage of light, making it essential in the construction of energy-efficient buildings and vehicles.
Tel Aviv University researchers have created a unique glass that is both an effective adhesive and highly transparent. This spontaneously forming glass could significantly influence…
Researchers have developed a new class of materials known as glassy gels, which combine the hardness of glassy polymers with the stretchability of gels. These…
Researchers have developed techniques to manufacture different types of glass in space, uncovering potential for advancements in optical technology. Thanks to human ingenuity and zero…
Glass is increasingly utilized in various high-performance areas, covering consumer and industrial applications, military and aerospace electronics, as well as coatings and optics. Given the…
Glass, a vital material in our daily lives, serves multiple purposes like insulating homes and forming screens in computers and smartphones. However, its extensive historical…
Glass is a material that appears simple in its transparency and rigidity but is, in fact, highly complex and intriguing. Its transformation from a liquid…
Researchers uncover the process by which centuries of corrosion and crystallization formed photonic crystals. Approximately 2,000 years ago in ancient Rome, glass containers filled with…
Scientists have produced an oxide glass with unprecedented toughness. Under high pressures and temperatures, they succeeded in paracrystallizing an aluminosilicate glass: The resulting crystal-like structures…
Globally, glass manufacturing emits at least 86 million tons of carbon dioxide annually. However, a new type of glass called LionGlass, developed by Penn State…
How glass dampens sound: University of Konstanz researchers solve a physics mystery – by rediscovering a discarded theory. Sometimes the knowledge is already there –…
Cracked phone screens could become a thing of the past thanks to breakthrough research conducted at The University of Queensland. The global team of researchers,…
Strongest and toughest glass known developed by McGill University scientists. Scientists from McGill University develop stronger and tougher glass, inspired by the inner layer of…
Bulk metallic glass could slash prices of collaborative robots and lead to advanced 3D printed metals. Where are the robot assistants we were promised? For…
Corning executive Mark Kurz SM ’95 leads a team producing vials for vaccine distribution. Some people are actually able to bottle their success, and Mark…
While glass is a truly ubiquitous material that we use on a daily basis, it also represents a major scientific conundrum. Contrary to what one…
ETH researchers used a 3D printing process to produce complex and highly porous glass objects. The basis for this is a special resin that can…
Addressing a centuries-old question, researchers have uncovered a key element to how glasses transition into very resilient states. This breakthrough could allow for more reliable…
Engineers at Yale University have developed a method that allows them to vary one aspect of a material’s microstructure while holding all other features constant,…