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Steel hard glass should be commercialized by 2021

Japanese researchers have developed a new type of glass almost as hard as steel, a breakthrough that could lead to the development of substantially tougher windows and tableware.

Thinner and lighter and stronger glass are desired for windows in buildings and cars, substrates for TFT displays, and smart-phones.

“We will establish a way to mass-produce the new material shortly,” said Atsunobu Masuno, an assistant professor at the University of Tokyo’s Institute of Industrial Science. “We are looking to commercialize the technique within five years.”

Oxide glass mainly consists of silicon dioxide, with its strength boosted by mixing in alumina, an oxide of aluminum. But it had been difficult for scientists to form glass containing a large amount of alumina because the oxide causes crystallization when the glass comes into contact with its container.

The scientists bypassed this problem by using a containerless processing technique.

The plan is to commercialize the steel hard glass within 5 years.

Ingredients pushed into the air with gas synthesize to form a new type of glass. (Provided by the University of Tokyo's Institute of Industrial Science)

Scientific Reports - High Elastic Moduli of a 54Al2O3-46Ta2O5 Glass Fabricated via Containerless Processing

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