Glass

Video: Glass ornaments sparkle for the holidays

By Guest Contributor / December 6, 2023

Glass ornaments have played a central role in holiday decorations for almost two centuries. Learn about this history and where to find glass ornaments for this year’s winter celebrations.

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Waste glass as packaging material for high-power automotive lighting applications

By Lisa McDonald / December 5, 2023

Collecting waste glass is only the first step in creating a circular glass recycling system—there must also be end-use markets for the collected glass. A recent open-access study showed that waste glass could be used as packaging material for high-power automotive lighting applications, such as headlamps and side turn lamps.

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Recycling green technology: Microwave radiation facilitates deconstruction and reuse of solar panels

By Lisa McDonald / November 28, 2023

Semiconductor processing could benefit from the use of microwaves, which allows materials to be annealed faster and more selectively. Now, researchers in Australia demonstrated another benefit—it would make the deconstruction and reuse of solar panel components easier.

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A ‘wow’ finding—surface weathering transforms ancient Roman glass into natural photonic crystal

By Guest Contributor / November 17, 2023

Photonic crystals are manufactured structures used in many advanced optical devices to control the flow of light. Researchers in Italy and the U.S. discovered that an ancient Roman glass fragment naturally formed a photonic crystal structure on its surface through environmental weathering.

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Expanding possibilities in materials and processing at 84th Conference on Glass Problems

By Lisa McDonald / November 15, 2023

The 84th Conference on Glass Problems welcomed almost 400 attendees to Columbus, Ohio, from Nov. 6–8, 2023. The conference featured numerous talks highlighting ways to improve the efficiency of the glass production process, from raw materials selection to flue gas cleanup.

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Video: Hydrogen trials show promise at glassmaking plants

By Lisa McDonald / November 1, 2023

In recent years, several glass companies have started experimenting with replacing natural gas with hydrogen in glass production. The results from these tests are promising.

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Harnessing nature for nano design—glass-coated DNA scaffolds demonstrate potential as lightweight and high-strength materials

By Lisa McDonald / September 29, 2023

In recent decades, researchers have explored using deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) as a scaffold for programmable nanostructures. Now, researchers at Columbia University, the University of Connecticut, and Brookhaven National Laboratory collaborated to show that glass-coated DNA scaffolds have potential as lightweight and high-strength materials.

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Integrating orthopedic implants—several strategies improve adhesion strength of bioactive glass coatings

By Lisa McDonald / September 22, 2023

Bioactive glass offers numerous benefits as a coating material for metallic implants, but achieving strong adhesion between the glass and implant is a challenge. University of Barcelona researchers explored several strategies for improving the adhesion strength of bioactive glass coatings deposited using atmospheric plasma spraying.

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Protecting solar panels from hail—the thicker the glass, the better

By Guest Contributor / September 12, 2023

The increasing frequency and severity of hailstorms puts solar panels at risk of damage. Researchers in India and Hong Kong explored the role that front glass thickness plays in improving the hail resistance of solar panels.

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Video: Movies in glass—the LIFETILES of Rufus Butler Seder

By Lisa McDonald / August 30, 2023

Lenticular printing, or a method to produce printed images that change or move depending on viewing angle, typically uses plastic as the medium. Artist Rufus Butler Seder developed a way to create glass-based lenticular images, and his murals appear in public places around the world.

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