Thin films process could make glass stronger

R&D : New types of glass that are double-strong and nearly unbreakable may be possible because of breakthroughs in microelectronics and nanotechnology. In the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Peter Wolynes of Rice University and his graduate student Apiwat Wisitsorasak write about the strength of different types of glass. Unlike most solids, glass has an unusual molecular structure in which the molecules are suspended randomly, as in a liquid. It is the strong bonds that form between glass’s molecules that give it its unique properties. How much strain glass can handle depends on how much energy it can absorb, which in turn is determined by how it’s manufactured and what it’s made from. Based on a mathematical model created by Wolynes, the researchers propose that chemical vapor deposition, which is used to make thin films, could yield a glass at least twice as strong as is currently available.