A Re-evaluation of the Physiochemistry of Glass on the Basis of Recent Developments and its Relevance to the Glass Industry

The classical image of glass is that of a rigid, transparent brittle material characterized by a non-crystalline microstructure. This 19th and 20th century image however is mostly based on the contrast between soda lime glass and metals. It does not really make sense in the 21th century where more modern testing methods have increased our understanding of the physiochemistry of glass. Based on recent results and the development of computational molecular dynamic software modelling a new approach to the physiochemistry of glass is outlined. The consequences this view has on glass properties and processing are explained