Yahoo – AFP,
Hiroshi HIYAMA, December 28, 2017
 |
| Researchers can now explore ways to make more durable, lightweight, glass-like items (AFP Photo/Toru YAMA |
Tokyo (AFP) - A Japanese researcher has developed -- by accident-- a new type of glass that can be repaired simply by pressing it back together after it cracks.
The
discovery opens the way for super-durable glass that could triple the lifespan
of everyday products like car windows, construction materials, fish tanks and
even toilet seats.
Yu
Yanagisawa, a chemistry researcher at the University of Tokyo, made the
breakthrough by chance while investigating adhesives that can be used on wet
surfaces.
Does this
mean you will soon be able to repair those cracks in your smartphone with a
quick press of the fingers? Or surreptitiously piece together a shattered beer
glass dropped after one pint too many?
Well, not
quite. Not now and in fact, not in the near future.
But it does
open a window of opportunity for researchers to explore ways to make more
durable, lightweight, glass-like items, like car windows.
In a lab
demonstration for AFP, Yanagisawa broke a glass sample into two pieces.
He then
held the cross sections of the two pieces together for about 30 seconds until
the glass repaired itself, almost resembling its original form.
To
demonstrate its strength, he then hung a nearly full bottle of water from the
piece of glass -- and it stayed intact.
The organic
glass, made of a substance called polyether thioureas, is closer to acrylic
than mineral glass, which is used for tableware and smartphone screens.
Other
scientists have demonstrated similar properties by using rubber or gel
materials but Yanagisawa was the first to demonstrate the self-healing concept
with glass.
The secret lies
in the thiourea, which uses hydrogen bonding to make the edges of the shattered
glass self-adhesive, according to Yanagisawa's study.
But what
use is all this if it cannot produce a self-healing smartphone screen?
"It is
not realistically about fixing what is broken, more about making longer-lasting
resin glass," Yanagisawa told AFP.
Glass
products can fracture after years of use due to physical stress and fatigue.
"When
a material breaks, it has already had many tiny scars that have accumulated to
result in major destruction," Yanagisawa said.
"What
this study showed was a path toward making a safe and long-lasting resin
glass", which is used in a wide range of everyday items.
"We
may be able to double or triple the lifespan of something that currently lasts
for 10 or 20 years", he said.
A Japanese researcher has developed, by accident, a new type of glass that can be repaired simply by pressing it back together after it cracks https://t.co/eKU33AOHE8 pic.twitter.com/IL5ZhxT22x— AFP news agency (@AFP) December 28, 2017
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