Structure/Property Relationships in Inorganic Glasses

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Glasses of different compositions are used in a remarkably wide variety of applications, from high-value-added optical elements to simple construction materials. At the same time, the cost of production of glass is relatively high, especially when the additional environmental costs of the energy production necessary for melting are taken into account. These costs lead to continued pressure to develop stronger, lighter, better-performing glasses that can be prepared at lower temperatures, but the complexity of glass structure has thwarted many attempts to develop simple design rules relating composition to properties.We propose here a program to relate composition and structure to glass properties, focusing on both optical and structural applications. We will determine how glass distorts images when stress is applied, and through this work design new glass compositions in which distortions are minimal across the spectrum. We will also attempt to develop glass that is distortion-free in the infrared part of the spectrum, for use in communications technologies. Concerning structural applications of glass, we will determine the correlations between atomic bonding, stiffness, strength, and durability, in an attempt to develop stronger glasses that can be prepared at lower temperatures, so that energy savings may be realized. To study the structures of the glasses we will make we will employ a variety of tools, primarily light scattering and magnetic resonance. We will also model the effects using advanced computational methods, and develop new computational tools for this purpose.