Introduction to Glass Science

Catalog description

Composition, melting, fabrication, properties, and uses of glass; combinations of glass with metals and other materials. MATSE 415MATSE 415 Introduction to Glass Science (3) This course aims to explain the unique characteristics of the glassy state, and to describe their role in the processing, application, and engineering performance of amorphous materials and glass products. The course teaches fundamental concepts of amorphous structure, and then utilizes them to establish structure-property relations in various glass systems. The viscosity, thermal expansion, chemical durability, strength behavior, and optical properties of silicate-based glasses are emphasized, although the important properties of phosphate, halide, and chalcogenide glasses are not overlooked. Also included are phenomenological descriptions of glass formation, liquid-liquid immiscibility, viscous flow, structural relaxation, stress relaxation, and crystallization in glass. Various methods for the synthesis of glass are reviewed (melting, CVD, and sol/gel), along with important manufacturing processes for commercial glass products. Throughout the course, the applications of glass and glass components in electronics, photonics, biomedicine, transportation, and energy are described to rationalize the use of glass (i.e., the materials selection), the specific glass composition, and the associated processing method.