Researchers at the University of Bayreuth, together with partners in China and the USA, 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.
Paracrystallization thus proves to be a promising process for producing extremely break-resistant glasses. In “Nature Materials,” the researchers present their findings, in which the German Electron Synchrotron (DESY) in Hamburg also participated.
Publication
Hu Tang et al.: Toughening oxide glasses through paracrystallization. Nature Materials (2023), DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41563-023-01625-x.