Superstrong Glass

Nacre (also known as mother-of-pearl) is a strong and resilient material composed of small mineral chips held together by thin layers of elastic biopolymers in a staggered structure that resembles a brick wall. It’s this arrangement that give nacre its toughness by preventing cracks from spreading transversely. Now researchers are using the same principle to make a glass composite that is nearly unbreakable for use in a variety of applications, from smartphone screens to windshields.

Glass flakes less than one-hundredth of a millimeter thick are sandwiched with a flexible acrylic that contains small amounts of hydrocarbons to make it interact with light in the same was that glass does — an important factor in maximizing transparency. The layers are formed by spinning the components in a centrifuge. The resulting material is five times stronger and more than seven times more resistant to damage than current automobile windshields. It can also be cut and drilled using standard tools without cracking thanks to the staggered construction.

Researchers are continuing to find the optimum balance of transparency, scratch resistance and strength. The ease with which the new material can be manufactured indicates that the process could easily be scaled up.