Solving the Enigma of Sustainable Production of Ultra-Hard and Crack-Resistant Thin Glasses

Research question 

We aim to develop environmental-friendly aluminosilicate glasses that combine the properties of high hardness and crack-resistance without involving expensive and toxic rare-earth metals. The engineering of strong, durable, and non-brittle thin glasses is, in particular, expected to yield enhanced flat-screen displays, such as in mobile phones, but also of potential use in other applications demanding strong and transparent specialty glass, such as spectacles and windows in aircraft cockpits and high-speed trains. To reach the goal of a rational design of such glasses, the relationships between their composition, atomistic structure, and physical properties must be understood. Solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance will mainly be utilized for unravelling the local aluminosilicate glass structure. Those results will then be analysed in conjunction with measured mechanical and elastic properties of the glasses for understanding their composition-structure-property relationships, which will guide the design of environmental-friendly and sustainable glasses. 

 Sustainability aspects

The project will explore recyclable, energy-saving and sustainable glasses.