Scientists are close to creating an “eternal glass”

Scientists from Italy presented glass, the mechanical properties of which can be controlled. In the future, this may lead to the creation of “eternal” material.

A research team from the University of Trento was able to study the internal stress in colloidal systems, which was a decisive step in controlling the mechanical properties of glasses. Their work may affect the creation of new types of material. The study was published in the journal Science Advances.

The lenses used for camera lenses are not like the glasses used in apartments or cars, the researchers said. They have varying degrees of transparency and break up differently (some break up into large pieces, the second into many tiny pieces). These properties are determined by the voltage inside the glass, which can be easily minimized or maximized. Researchers can now adjust this pressure to adapt the material to specific needs.

To do this, the researchers focused on colloidal glasses, which consist of microscopic particles dispersed in a solution that allows the formation of a compact solid. Physicists at the University of Trento conducted several experiments and managed to create colloidal glasses characterized by unidirectional stress, which locally accumulates in this material and moves in one direction.

Giulio Monaco, director of the Department of Physics at the University of Trento and research coordinator, noted that such glasses are very stable. “Imagine window panes that, despite the stress, can not be destroyed for centuries. To do this, you only need to learn to control the voltage in more detail. "

Source: https://hightech.fm/