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 cause the glass to withstand very high stresses and are retained under ambient conditions.
The researchers explain the extraordinary strengthening of the glass by the fact that forces acting on the glass from outside, which would normally lead to breakage or internal cracks, are now primarily directed against the paracrystalline structures. They dissolve areas of these structures and transform them back into an amorphous, random state.
If I'm reading this correctly, hitting the glass multiple times will make it as brittle as glass over time.
Sounds like it exchanges rigidity for plasticity but it doesn't have long term durability (once you damage the paracrystilline areas, they lose that property). Better than directional crystalline structures because there's not a "grain", but weaker.
I’m really looking forward to a new company establishing its reputation on this incredible glass, only to quietly replace it with cheaper and worse glass years later.
I don't think the glass makers themselves are necessarily the issue - they'll supply whatever is in demand, including low quality crap if demand is high enough.
People know brand names. People don’t own glass testing equipment. People will buy cheap glass for a high price if it has a brand name they associate with quality.
This announcement is: We have managed to do this for a small sample in a lab using specialised equipment, likely taking days to produce one test item.
That is a long, long way from: We have scaled this up to a automated process that produces thousands of identical sheets of glass per day that will cover tens of thousands of phones.
The scientists have proved it is possible, there are now another 100 steps for the engineers it work through to see if it can scale economically.
Add comment