Scientists have developed a new way to change the internal structure of glass while it is being made, giving them greater control over properties such as magnetism and the way the material interacts with light. The discovery could open the door to advanced glasses with capabilities that were previously difficult or impossible to achieve.
The breakthrough comes from a collaboration involving TU Dortmund University, Paderborn University, the University of Duisburg-Essen, and the University of Oxford. Published in Nature Materials, the research demonstrates how adding a particular organic molecule during the melting process can rearrange chemical bonds within certain types of glass.
The method also allows these materials to melt at much lower temperatures, preventing the damage that would otherwise occur during manufacturing. Such specialized glasses have potential applications in gas storage, batteries, optical technologies, and catalysis.
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