Phys.org September 28, 2021
Nacre, mother of pearl, made of stiff pieces of chalk-like matter that are layered with highly elastic soft proteins, has the rigidity of a stiff material and durability of a soft material. It is 3000 times tougher than the materials that compose it. An international team of researchers (Canada, USA- University of Colorado) took the architecture of nacre and replicated it with layers of glass flakes and acrylic, yielding an exceptionally strong yet opaque material that can be produced easily and inexpensively. They made the composite optically transparent. By tuning the refractive index of the acrylic, they made it seamlessly blend with the glass to make a truly transparent composite. In next steps they plan to improve it by incorporating smart technology allowing the glass to change its properties, such as color, mechanics, and conductivity. The new material is three times stronger than the normal glass, five times more fracture resistant, has the resiliency of plastic and could be used to improve cell phone screens in the future, among other applications…read more. TECHNICAL ARTICLEÂ
(A) Glass composite’s microstructure and (B) Nacre’s microstructure. Credit: McGill University.