The Future of Glass

Not everything in the glass world is as clear as the glass we work with everyday. In fact, just recently have been some amazing advancements in the world of glass. And while you may not be seeing these products in your everyday life anytime soon (some! But not all,) we thought we would take this week to share with you some   

of the awesome developments in the glass world, and give you a crystal clear picture at what’s going on in the glass world today.

            One of these products has actually been around since 1902, but is just now making its way in the spotlight with the announcement of Apple’s new line of smart watches. The face of Apple’s new watch is made out of an extremely durable glass known as sapphire glass. Sapphire glass is touted as the strongest glass of any kind—garnering a rating of 9 on Moh’s Hardness Scale (the highest score is 10 for a hardness akin to diamonds.) Sapphire glass is made from the same process that is used to synthesize sapphires (hence the name), in which aluminum oxide is grounded to a powder, heated to 3500 degrees, and then spread into a fine layer that cools and forms a sheet of one of the most durable types of glass in existence. The implementation of sapphire glass has been around a while for use in devices that would be rendered almost useless if their glass parts were scratched (camera lenses, microscopes, etc.) but it is now given a global stage by being one of the main selling points of Apple’s new product. Expect to see sapphire glass usage grow even more as its price drops and the demand for unscratchable glass increases as most phone companies are biting at the chance to utilize sapphire glass in their touch screen devices.

            In the industrial field, scientists managed to create the world’s strongest and toughest material (Yes, the two adjectives are different when it comes to glass!) Strength refers to the amount of energy an object can undergo before it deforms. Toughness refers to specific amount of energy needed to break the object. So typically, you would find an object that excels in one category and fails in another. For example, a rubber band is tough but not strong, it takes almost no energy to deform it, but quite a bit of energy to actually break it. Glass is typically known for being the opposite, it can take some hits and still retain shape, but one concentrated smack to the pane will leave it shattered. This new glass is made from Palladium, and its chemical structure allows it to retain the strength of glass but also makes it tougher than steel. Essentially, the arrangement of the molecules because of the Palladium in the glass, allows the atoms in the glass to “bend” (not visible to the eye, but on a microscopic level) and take additional pressure before giving way. This development could potentially revolutionize the world of architecture with a brand new, stronger medium to build their masterpieces with. The glass allows for reinforced airplane windows, elevator panes, and overall creating a glass that is safer and more reliable to use in building. Just imagine not having to worry about a baseball soaring through your window at full force destroying all in its path, this new glass can easily withstand that. Currently the price of Palladium glass is too expensive for mass production, but it gives a glimpse into the future of glass and even further into the futures of architecture.

 If scientists can now turn one the world’s most fragile substances into the strongest, one can only imagine what could be around the corner. If only seeing into the future was as easy as looking through a glass pane, but it isn’t. However, we here at Century Glass are very excited to see just what discoveries are on the horizon.