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Why is glass transparent?

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Why is glass transparent?

Why is glass transparent?

Glass is one of the most common materials manufactured today. We use it (or can use it) in just about everything. It has a lot of special qualities that make it exceptionally useful, but why is glass transparent?

Glass has a lot of things going for it. First, it’s made from common materials. Sand, limestone, silica and oxygen are all abundant in just about every place on earth. It’s infinitely recyclable. Glass can be melted down and reshaped over and over again, with virtually no loss in the original quantity or quality of the finished product. Read more

Glass experiments may reveal Martian secrets

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Glass experiments may reveal Martian secrets

Glass experiments may reveal Martian secrets

Man has been interested in Mars for thousands of years, largely because the planet seems to be similar in size and composition to Earth. Unlike Earth, the Martian environment can’t support complex life, but scientists are uncertain about what happened during the planet’s evolution to differentiate it so remarkably from its terrestrial neighbor. Recent explorations are raising more questions about the Red Planet than they’re answering. One observation about Mars is that there appear to be significant glass deposits on or near the surface of the planet. How did the glass get there, and what does the glass reveal about the history of Mars? Read more

Iconic Glass Structures – National Library of Belarus

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Iconic Glass Structures – National Library of Belarus

Iconic Glass Structures – National Library of Belarus

In our ongoing series that looks at iconic glass structures, today we’ll look at the National Library of Belarus. The library was originally opened in 1922 and houses the country’s largest collection of printed materials. It’s also home to the world’s third largest collection of Russian language books.

The current building was opened in January 2006 and features 22 floors. The building holds about 2,000 visitors, as well as a 500-seat conference theater. According to the library, the building welcomes about 2,200 visitors each day. The building’s design features an unusual complex polyhedron known as a rhombicuboctahedron, which consists of 18 squares and 8 triangles perched on a stylobate. Read more

Toronto scientists print up glass solar cells

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Toronto scientists print up glass solar cells

Toronto scientists print up glass solar cells

A research group at the University of Toronto is working on technology that could pave the way to printable solar cells. Traditional solar cells are relatively expensive to produce because they use highly pure crystalline silicon material that is processed at temperatures that exceed 1,000° C.

The high temperatures and energy required to produce traditional solar cells account for at least part of the cost of the finished solar cells. The new technique relies on perovskite solar cells. Perovskite solar cells use a layer of nanoscopically small glass crystals, which could be included in a printable ink, provided that there’s a way to collect excited electrons and move them into a circuit. Read more

The Disadvantage of Glass Storefronts

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The Disadvantage of Glass Storefronts

The Disadvantage of Glass Storefronts

In December, the Apple Store in Palo Alto, CA confronted one of the realities of having an expansive glass storefront: the store is vulnerable to damage. A group of four suspects drove a Kia Soul through the front of the store and stole thousands of dollars worth of Apple merchandise. According to police, more than a dozen additional suspects helped carry out the robbery after the storefront was breached.

The store does include cement barriers to prevent unintended collisions, the suspects drove the car down the sidewalk before putting the vehicle through the front of the store. Both the car and the store sustained heavy damage in the heist, and Apple was unwilling to provide an estimate of just how much of its stuff was taken. Read more

Wright’s Mile High Illinois Glass Tower

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Wright's Mile High Illinois Glass Tower

Wright’s Mile High Illinois Glass Tower

Architects’ designs are at times both pragmatic and fanciful. Frank Lloyd Wright was no exception. In 1956, Chicago and other cities were struggling with their growing populations, and a finite amount of space in which to house them and their businesses. Wright’s solution, which many believed was ahead of its time, was to build up using glass.

Wright introduced his Mile High Illinois Tower just two years before he died, but he was serious about building it. Following his death, the project lost its biggest champion, and to date it hasn’t been built. The world’s tallest building is nowhere near Wright’s proposed maximum height, but just as Wright envisioned it, today’s tallest buildings rely heavily on glass. Read more

Self tinting glass helps buildings keep their cool

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Self tinting glass helps buildings keep their cool

Self tinting glass helps buildings keep their cool

Energy consumption is one of the hottest topics in new building construction – no pun intended. The drive to reduce energy grows more urgent as developing nations increase construction projects designed to support their economic activities. Nations closest to the Equator are those most in need of simple, reliable solutions that reduce the need for electricity. That’s where self-tinting glass comes in.

Self tinting glass is glass that tints based on the movement of the Sun. The glass remains tinted as long as it is exposed to sunlight. As the Sun moves off the glass, the glass returns to its clear, untinted condition. The glass also remains clear on cloudy days to maximize the transmission of visible light. Read more

New wine glass designed to fit your face

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New wine glass designed to fit your face

New wine glass designed to fit your face

The aroma of wine is a big part of wine-tasting. Wine connoisseurs always smell the wine as part of their evaluation. Now, thanks to the new Wine Mask Glass that’s designed to fit your face, the aroma and the taste of the wine will be truly combined into a single tasting experience.

The rim of the glass is designed to fit over your nose while you’re drinking. Small vents on the side of the glass admit air, which is key to allowing the wine to breathe and activate its aroma. The area above the fluid level in the glass acts as a mixing chamber for the air and the wine. The vented enclosure allows the wine vapors to leave the fluid surface faster, which improves the wine-tasting experience. Read more

Glass doorknob sets London house on fire

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Glass doorknob sets London house on fire

Glass doorknob sets London house on fire

Decorative doorknobs can come in many shapes and sizes, but a glass doorknob was identified as the cause of a house fire in London last fall. Fortunately the homeowner was at home at the time of the incident, and was alerted to the fire by a smoke alarm. The London fire department extinguished the blaze before significant damage was done to the home.

The trouble started when one of the home’s resident’s removed a coat that had been hanging on the doorknob. The doorknob focused sunlight streaming into a bedroom window, and the intensified light ignited clothing hanging in the closet. For its part, the fire department issued warnings about the hidden dangers of combining glass or mirrors and direct sunlight. Read more

Iconic Glass Structures – The Bloch Building

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We would be remiss if we didn’t include the Bloch Building at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in our growing list of iconic glass structures. The Bloch Building, a 2007 addition to the Nelson-Atkins Museum in Kansas City, features a frosted glass exterior that when lit from inside, takes on the appearance of a Japanese lantern.

The building is a 165,000 square foot addition to the museum complex, and sits in stark contrast to the museum’s original Beaux-Arts style building, which opened in 1933. The Bloch Building, named after H & R Block co-founder Henry W. Bloch, is home to a number of the museum’s collections, including contemporary art and African, photography. It also includes a number of galleries for special exhibits, a reference library and a permanent sculpture collection. Read more