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MIT Researchers Invent 'Super Glass'
redletterdave writes "On Thursday, researchers at MIT announced a breakthrough in glass-making technology, which basically involves a new way to create surface textures on glass to eliminate all of the drawbacks of glass, including unwanted reflections and glare. The research team wanted to build glass that could be adaptable to any environment: Their 'multifunctional' glass is not only crystal clear, but it also causes water droplets to bounce right off its surface, 'like tiny rubber balls.' The glass is self-cleaning, anti-reflective, and superhydrophobic. The invention has countless applications, including TV screens, as well as smartphone and tablet displays that benefit from the self-cleaning ability of the glass by resisting moisture and contamination by sweat."
But can you build a whale tank with it?
EA David Gardner -"... but the consumers have proven that actually what they want is fun."
To me, it sounds like a very bold claim to eliminate all the drawbacks from anything. Maybe you made it a little bit better. But I don't think there is anything in this universe that you can eliminate all the drawbacks. I mean even eliminating a drawback tends to make a new drawback. Lets say you made glass so durable that it wouldn't fracture when hit with a hammer, then you might not want to use that glass in an emergency box which says,"In case of emergency, smash glass"
God spoke to me
If you could incorporate this in vehicles windshields, you'd have the same benefits and maybe not need mechanical wipers or defrosters.
If this is as hydrophobic as they claim, I want a windshield made of the stuff.
But then how can we buy new TV sets that actually look glossy and new!
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So... does this mean our children will never have the experience of looking out the a window covered in drops of water on a rainy day? I know it's a stupid little thing, but there is something oddly therapeutic and beautiful about it. Almost sad that it might become a thing of the past.
What I'd really like to see is a type of glass that is transparent in one direction *ONLY*... regardless of illumination levels.
They might think they've made a breakthrough with this crystal clear non reflecting glass, but I just don't see it.
Wow, glass with those properties being used for front elements on camera lenses would be amazing. Anti-glare without having to resort to all sorts of coatings, no fogging or moisture would be great too, especially if you're shooting in very humid environments.
As long as the micro-structures on the surface didn't change the optical properties so much as to be detrimental to the incoming light.
so this glass has really bad rabies?
I think it's reasonable to assume that worldwide a number of window washers die on the job each year. I would hazard a guess that it would be a statistically significant amount considering the dangers inherent in swinging about on a rope several stories up with a bucket of sudsy water. But I really rather doubt it was much of a motivation for the scientists in MIT.
For comparison with a water droplet (the closer to 180 degrees you get, the closer to a perfect non-wettable/sticky surface you have):
This new glass (165 degree contact angle)
The upcoming Neverwet material (160 to 175 degrees)
Lotus leaf or even some birds' feather (150 degrees)
Rain-X (110 degrees - car windshield protector)
Teflon (95-110 degrees - surprisingly low, but then it needs to be tough and heat-proof)
Car wax (90 degrees)
Human skin (90 degrees - PDF warning)
I wonder what the durability of the glass is compared to Neverwet w(which is pervious to solvents, detergents, soap and high pressure water)...
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if they can just find some way to magnetize it we can clean up broken glass with a magnet....
It seems to be a good glass to make lenses for telescopes.
If is all as stated..then it has great application. Aircraft cockpit windows just for one. I am sure that fighter pilots would love to have clearer visibility ( at least thru the windows itself) while going 700+ mph in rain.
Porn-friendly monitors?
Spirit and Opportunity would have benefited greatly from glass that was self cleaning. Would not have needed to wait for Dust Devils and playful Mars Bunnies to clean off the photo cells.
The surface sounds perfect to line the inside of a commode. Opaque better than transparent for this application, however. At least IMHO.
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Marked +5 Insightful.
That's why.
The contact angle of a water droplet has to exceed 150 degrees. This makes it even better at keeping the surface completely dry and dirt free. Plain 'Hydrophobic' is merely more than 90 degrees.
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They put micro-cones on the surface that are 5 times taller than they are wide. Might not stand up to handling or hail.
Anti-glare, self-cleaning, no reflections. There goes my ability to beat the red-light cameras.
Not if it's texture-based rather than chemistry-based.
When I was a kid we went to the Corning glass museum in Corning NY. There they had a show room where they displayed all the stuff they could do with glass
I seem to remember one display in which a flame was applied to one side of a piece of glass and a pot of water was on the other side with a thermometer in it to show the temp was just room temp, despite being subjected to open flame , separated only by that pane of glass.
I wonder what ever became of that technology and why today it's not in every window in the world . The energy savings would be incredible- most air conditioning- heat or cooling- escapes through your window which has an R value of 2 or in the case of insulated glass unit (IGU) at best an R-value of 8.
Self cleaing windows save water and that's a Good Thing, but heat blocking glass saves energy and that's a Very Good Thing.
"The glass is self-cleaning, anti-reflective, and superhydrophobic." This sounds like the perfect glass for eyeglasses.
Please don't humanize the morons around me. It makes me very uncomfortable.