Crystallisation of glass used for windows, bottles and kitchenware

What is it about?

Under suitable heat treatment conditions, soda-lime-silica glass can devitrify, i.e., crystals can be formed within the glass. In this work, the growth rate of one particular phase which can form, devitrite, has been studied as a function of heat treatment temperature.

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Why is it important?

It turns out that devitrite makes glass 'cloudy', in the sense that the devitrite crystals act as efficient diffusers of light. Hence, there is the potential for devitrite to be used as a surface coating in the future on windows or light panels to act as light diffusers.