Watching the structure of glass under pressure
Saturday, August 30, 2014 - 04:01
in Physics & Chemistry
Glass has many applications that call for different properties, such as resistance to thermal shock or to chemically harsh environments. Glassmakers commonly use additives such as boron oxide to tweak these properties by changing the atomic structure of glass. Now researchers have for the first time captured atoms in borosilicate glass flipping from one structure to another as it is placed under high pressure.