Most of the glass out there that we each have in our homes or see out there on the streets is made out of silicon dioxide. It also has boron, polymers and other metals in its composition. However, scientists have created a new type of glass.
What is this new glass like?
First of all, it is more pliable than general glass. It is made out of two organic compounds and zinc. The organic compounds are imidazolate and benzimidazolate. The material of this new glass resembles the atomic pyramid shape of silica glass.
This type of glass, named ZIF-62, has a very smooth structure. This is due to how the glass is made, the source material being heated very fast to that crystals do not have the time needed to form on the surface. This ability to not form crystals is known as the glass-forming ability.
ZIF-62 – the best type of glass
During testing, ZIF-62 was shown to be more pliable than 50 other types of glass, including silica glass. This is why scientists say that this new type of glass has managed to overthrow silica and become the best glass available. Moreover, they found out that the glass-forming ability of ZIF-62 became even better the more benzimidazolate they added to the compound.
What needs to be worked on?
While this new mix between metal and organic materials looks incredible on small-scale tests, researchers have yet to come up with a profitable way to manufacture ZIF-62 on a large scale. This could ensure, be it for a small period of time, that silica glass would still be the best option for buyers since they can purchase it in large quantities. There needs to be more research done on ZIF-62 until scientists have a grasp of all the properties that this organic glass has.
