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Solar energy hits the road

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Solar energy hits the road

Solar energy hits the road

Route 66 evokes images of open road, but this stretch of America’s past may be making some new history in Conway, MO. A local rest stop there is being retrofitted with about 50 glass solar panels, but these collectors won’t be mounted on a roof. Instead, they’ll be embedded in the sidewalks around the rest stop. The goal is to provide all of the rest stop’s energy.

The experiment is part of a plan by an Idaho company called Solar Roadways. If the sidewalk test passes muster, the panels will be shifted to the parking lot, then to the entrance and exit ramps leading to the highway. The Solar Roadways panels heat themselves, so there’s no need to provide winter maintenance. They also have lights that can be configured to display lane markers and inform drivers about road conditions ahead.

The road ahead for solar highways isn’t going to be easy. The panels will have to prove their mettle when it comes to traction, weight, weather and temperature – all of the elements that go into making potholes on current road surfaces. Even if the proof-of-concept project survives, it would also have to overcome the fact that solar panels in the roadways are expensive – much moreso than standard cement, asphalt and other traditional paving materials.

Other companies are also experimenting with solar surfaces for roadways, roofs and other structures in various locations around the world. The goal is to develop materials that are both durable and productive. The cost of the solar road panels could be offset by tolls, or by transferring excess energy generated by the panels to the grid.

According to the company website, the solar glass panels are tempered, and are strong enough to support the weight of a semi-truck. The glass also has a roughened surface that gives it as much traction as asphalt. Each full-sized glass panel can generate about 48 watts of power, using about 4.5 square feet of space. The panels are hexagonally shaped.

In addition to the installation in Conway, MO, the company is also working on a public installation in Sandpoint, ID, Solar Roadways’ hometown.

Glassprimer™ glass paint is a specialized glass coating that bonds permanently to glass surfaces. GlassPrimer also makes a glass surface molecular activator that is designed to work with UV-inkjet glass printing processes. For more information about Glassprimer™ glass paint, please visit the rest of our site. If you’d like to purchase Glassprimer™ glass paint, please visit our online store

Photo Credit: Solar Roadways

Research opens up metallic glass

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A team of researchers from Duke University, Harvard University and Yale University are unlocking the secrets of metallic glass. Sometimes, molten metal cools too fast. When this happens, the atoms don’t have time to arrange themselves in the standard crystalline structure that defines most solid materials. Instead, the atoms in these metals cool and harden in random patterns, in exactly the same way that ordinary glass does. The resulting product is known as a metallic glass.

Scientists know how to create metallic glasses, but they don’t know – before they actually generate the glass – what properties the resulting glass will have. In some cases, metallic glasses may be conductive, super strong, super hard or they may have other properties that are equally desirable or specialized. The trial-and-error nature of the process makes discoveries among metallic glasses slow, and a bit of a mixed bag.

The researchers have discovered a way to predict the properties of a metallic glass product without having to manufacture or tweak anything. The process promises to save time and money, and could lead to the development of novel materials with highly desirable properties.

The researchers created a database and simulation software that examines all possible outcomes of a combination of elements, given the materials provided and their tendencies to form certain structures in nature. The simulation looks at a variety of atomic characteristics, and based on the information, is able to determine the likelihood that a particular selection of materials will bond. It can also determine the likelihood that other materials with similar atomic characteristics will bond.

The simulation allows the researchers to identify candidate materials that are more likely to bond together in a novel way. By eliminating material combinations that are likely to fail, scientists can spend more time in the lab working with materials that have a higher probability of success.

To determine the value of their simulator, the researchers tested their simulation on materials that are already known to produce metallic glass. The simulator correctly predicted successful combinations about three-quarters of the time.

At present, about two dozen known metallic glasses exist. If the simulator is correct, the researchers may be able to generate about 250 new combinations of metallic glasses with different, useful properties. So far, the simulator works with just two alloys, but the researchers have plans to reconfigure it to consider the possible outcomes of working with three different alloys. In the mean time, the researchers can also work on creating metallic glasses from the possibilities the similar has identified.

Glassprimer™ glass paint is a specialized glass coating that bonds permanently to glass surfaces. GlassPrimer also makes a glass surface molecular activator that is designed to work with UV-inkjet glass printing processes. For more information about Glassprimer™ glass paint, please visit the rest of our site. If you’d like to purchase Glassprimer™ glass paint, please visit our online store.

Iconic Glass Structures – Petronas Towers

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Iconic Glass Structures – Petronas Towers

Iconic Glass Structures – Petronas Towers

No series on iconic glass structures would be complete without discussing Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The twin towers were classified as the tallest building in the world between 1998 and 2004, and remain the world’s tallest twin towers, according to the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitats (CTBUH).

The Petronas Towers were designed by Argentine architect Cesar Pelli. The original design for the project was conceived in 1992, and underwent significant simulation testing to ensure that it could withstand wind and other forces that would act upon the structure once it was built.

Construction of the glass and steel towers began in 1993 and continued for seven years, although tenants occupied parts of the project before construction was entirely complete. The site for the building originally hosted a racetrack. Before construction began, tests showed that about half of the site was covered in decayed limestone. The entire building site was shifted about 200 feet to ensure that the project could be built on a suitably strong foundation.

In addition to being one of the world’s tallest structures, the Petronas Towers also hold the distinction of having the world’s deepest foundations. In some areas, the building’s foundations, which rest on more than 100 concrete pilings, extend nearly 375 feet into the Earth.

The 88-floor towers are clad in glass and steel. The towers were constructed simultaneously by two different construction crews in order to meet the Malaysian government’s requirement that construction be completed within 6 years.

The towers feature nearly 600,000 square feet of laminated glass, and a two-story bridge that connects the two towers at the 41st and 42nd floors. Despite the high profile of the Petronas Towers, a considerable amount of unused space is available for lease in the second tower. The first tower is completely filled. Retail space is available on the lower levels of the towers. The upper floors of the tower are reserved for office space.

The towers also feature two-level elevators. The lower floor of each elevator stops at the towers’ even numbered floors. The upper level of the elevator car stops at the odd numbered tower floors. The towers are made available to visitors. Visitors are required to purchase tickets.

Glassprimer™ glass paint is a specialized glass coating that bonds permanently to glass surfaces. GlassPrimer also makes a glass surface molecular activator that is designed to work with UV-inkjet glass printing processes. For more information about Glassprimer™ glass paint, please visit the rest of our site. If you’d like to purchase Glassprimer™ glass paint, please visit our online store.

Photo Credit: eltpics, via Flickr.com

Using passive and active glass to reduce heat

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Using passive and active glass to reduce heat

Using passive and active glass to reduce heat

If you ask a materials engineer, the Sun is a mixed bag. On one hand, it generates the light and heat we need to survive. On the other hand, we spend a lot of time and money trying to control the Sun’s output. That desire has given rise to both the passive and active glass developments that we see in buildings today.

Controlling solar radiation is one of the key challenges building designers face today. Glass is a huge part of building design. It is both necessary and desirable because glass is the best way to admit natural light into a constructed space. While visible light and the potential for natural ventilation are both desirable, invisible light frequencies are responsible for the generation of heat inside the building. Generally, it’s difficult (but not impossible) to separate the visible light frequencies from the invisible ones. The price of doing so often diminishes the amount of visible light that comes into a space.

Active glass technologies allow us to block invisible light by changing the behavior of the glass. Active glass technologies – such as electrochromic (or “smart”) windows – block invisible light frequencies at the cost of the visible ones. Electrochromic windows operate as an automatic shade that manipulates the opacity of the glass. You do get the benefit of blocking invisible light, but it comes at the cost of blocking the visible light frequencies at the same time.

Passive glass technologies use the sunlight to modify the glass. In this case, the opacity of the glass is not completely diminished. Instead, the glass tints in response to the presence of invisible light frequencies. Thermochromic and photochromic glasses sacrifice some visible light in order to reduce (but not eliminate) the transmission of invisible solar radiation.

Other approaches – such as solar shading – are also used to deflect incoming sunlight. Enough of the visible light frequencies are directed through building glass, but the shades reduce solar heat gain. This approach achieves a reduced solar heat gain at the expense of the view!

In cases where the view is already sacrificed – perhaps in a very dense urban area – another approach to reducing solar heat gain is available. Glassprimer™ glass paint is a specially formulated glass coating that creates a nanoscale bond to the surface of the glass. The paint actually modifies the surface of the glass to ensure that the paint bonds permanently. Glassprimer™ glass paint offers superior UV resistance, which means that it won’t chip, fade or peel, even when exposed to direct sunlight.

Glassprimer™ glass paint can be tinted to match the color palette of any major paint manufacturer, so you’re assured tha Glassprimer™ glass paint will blend seamlessly into any decorating plan. Best of all, it’s cost-effective, providing coverage for about $1 per square foot.

If you’d like more information about Glassprimer™ glass paint, please visit the rest of our site. If you’d like to purchase Glassprimer™ glass paint, please visit our online store .

Photo Credit: Jeremy Levine, via Flickr.com

Russian scientists develop new glass coating technique

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Russian scientists develop new glass coating technique

Russian scientists develop new glass coating technique

Russian researchers at the National Research Nuclear University Moscow Engineering Physics Institute (MEPhI) have developed a new technique for applying coatings to hard surfaces. The device, a plasma generator, creates a high-intensity magnetron discharge in melted materials. The device evaporates melted matter and enables the rapid application of high-quality thin-films. This approach to glass coating combines the advantages of two coating techniques – magnetron deposition and vacuum evaporation – that can individually create a high quality or rapidly produced coating, but not both.

Glass coating technique could be used for other materials

The new glass coating technique has potential for other materials, too. Currently, coated glass is used heavily in the construction industry to help control glare and heat gain in buildings that make extensive use of glass. The coatings must be high quality in order to work, which significantly slows the rate at which the glass can be produced.

The technique could also be used to apply both preservative and decorative coatings to building materials, tools and filters. The team is currently working on a production-scale prototype. The prototype will not be available commercially, but it takes the technique one step closer to commercialization.

Various forms of magnetron deposition and vacuum evaporation have been in development since the 1980’s. The ability to apply specialized coatings to glass has enabled the commercialization of energy-efficient and insulating glass in construction worldwide.

Glass coating plays an increasingly important role in energy efficiency and construction technology. Glass is a special material because unlike most construction materials, it isn’t porous. Its impervious surface means that ordinary coatings won’t stick to glass over a long period of time. Glassprimer™ glass paint was specially engineered to modify the surface of glass at the nanoscale level. This allows the paint to adhere permanently to glass without chipping, fading or peeling, even when exposed to humidity and direct sunlight.

Glassprimer™ glass paint is a cost-effective glass coating that can help reduce or eliminate the penetration of invisible light frequencies that are responsible for solar heat gain. Glassprimer™ glass paint can be dyed to match virtually any paint palette from any major paint manufacturer. It can be incorporated into virtually any decorating scheme, and is suitable for both indoor and outdoor use.

If you’d like more information about Glassprimer™ glass paint, please visit the rest of our site. If you’d like to purchase Glassprimer™ glass paint, please visit our online store .

Photo Credit: Jared Tarbell, via Flickr.com

Smart glass goes to the head of the class

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Smart glass goes to the head of the class

Smart glass goes to the head of the class

Building owners and operators are always on the lookout for ways to make their buildings more environmentally friendly. Part of this environmentalism is reducing energy consumption through materials like smart glass. As more construction takes place globally, the demand for energy increases. This puts additional stress on electrical power plants, and drives the demand for new facilities.

Building operators are committed to reducing energy consumption. Industry estimates suggest that they’ll spend nearly $1 trillion on upgrades and improvements to existing infrastructure through 2023. That may explain why smart glass is becoming a popular choice. Smart glass is specially designed glass that has the ability to change its opacity based on the presence or absence of an electrical current.

New developments in smart glass are working toward eliminating the need for continuous current. Although the electrical current demands for smart windows is small, eliminating the current can improve their efficiency over a large number of windows.

Smart windows rely on conductive suspended particles that re-orient themselves when electrical current is applied. When the current is on, the window is transparent. When the current is off, the particles become disorganized and block light. Varying the current can cause some of the particles to orient, thereby “tinting” the glass.

Changing the opacity of the glass can also reduce the amount of solar heat gain an area experiences. Reducing the amount of solar heat gain reduces electrical consumption by reducing the need for air conditioning or other air handling.

Another environmentally friendly way to reduce solar heat gain is by coating the glass with a UV-resistant coating like Glassprimer™ glass paint. Glassprimer™ glass paint is exceptionally UV resistant, which means it rejects the invisible light waves that generate and trap heat behind glass.

Glassprimer™ glass paint is permanent. While you lose the transparency of glass, you can still enjoy natural light. The coating works well to improve spaces where the view isn’t attractive. It also comes in virtually any color, so it will blend with any color palette.

If you’d like more information about Glassprimer™ glass paint, please visit the rest of our site. If you’d like to purchase Glassprimer™ glass paint, please visit our online store .

Photo Credit: Jamie McCaffrey, via Flickr.com

Graphene and glass battery electrode may go orbital

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Graphene and glass battery electrode may go orbital

Graphene and glass battery electrode may go orbital

A new battery electrode composed of graphene and glass could be used in aerospace applications. The new material is paper-thin and has a virtually perfect cycling efficiency. The materials used in the electrode are common, and therefore cost effective. The material also functions in cold temperatures, which means that it’s ideal for high-altitude and aerospace applications.

Researchers from Kansas State University have been working on batteries made from silicon and graphene, but early attempts were met with poor results. To correct problems including mechanical instability and low efficiency, the researchers developed a glass-like ceramic silicon oxycarbide electrode that’s surrounded by chemically modified graphene. The resulting glass based electrode is a high-capacity device that doesn’t require substantial mechanical support.

That’s good news because support elements don’t typically contribute to the efficiency of the system, but they can cause mechanical failure, and they increase the weight and size of the finished battery package. The glass based electrode weighs about 10% less than conventional battery components, and it can store enough electrons for practical use. As an added benefit, the glass-based electrode performs well at low temperatures, a feat that most batteries can’t achieve.

The new material was made by heating a liquid resin. Once heated, the resin breaks down into glass-like particles. The heated mixture, which contains oxygen, silicon and carbon, also self-arranges into a new 3-dimensional structure. This creates large storage spaces and smooth transportation pathways for lithium ions. The researchers intend to keep working on the process to make larger electrodes and perhaps develop mass production techniques. They also believe it may be possible to create electrodes from this material using a 3-D printing approach.

Most people don’t use glass to make space-age batteries, but there are still plenty of novel ways to use glass. Glassprimer™ glass paint can help you transform ordinary glass into a surface that’s both practical and decorative. Glassprimer™ glass paint comes in a virtual rainbow of colors and can be applied easily to glass, Plexiglas and other non-porous surfaces. The nanoscale surface bond ensures that the paint will not delaminate, even in the toughest conditions.

For more information about Glassprimer™ glass paint, please visit the rest of our site. If you’d like to purchase Glassprimer™ glass paint, please visit our online store .

Photo Credit: Kansas State University

Upgraded sorting machines might save glass recycling

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Upgraded sorting machines might save glass recycling

Upgraded sorting machines might save glass recycling

A growing concern among municipalities, materials recyclers and individual consumers is the possibility that glass recycling will come to a halt. Environmentally, there is no debate about the value of recycling glass. Glass is virtually infinitely recyclable, and consumes less energy during recycling than making new glass does.

Glass manufacturers would like to add more cullet (ground glass that’s ready for recycling) to their materials mixture, but the logistics of glass recycling make that difficult. Glass is heavy, and before it’s ground into cullet, it’s bulky. More importantly, glass needs to be sorted precisely. Different glass formulations can’t be mixed together. Significantly, heat-treated glass (tempered glass and Pyrex), colored and leaded glass need to be separated from the rest of the glass recycling stream, as these formulations cannot be used for containers.

X ray fluorescence and glass sorting

The emergence of X-ray fluorescence glass sorting machines may help take the sting out of glass recycling. Although the system was originally developed for glass recycling, manufacturers can also use the same technology to sort other types of recyclables. For example, Redwave’s latest sorter can identify and sort mixed heavy metals, including copper, zinc and stainless steel. It can also sort brominated plastics and a range of glass formulations.

Being able to sort recycling quickly is one key to reducing the cost associated with it. It’s also one way to ensure that glass recycling can be conducted as efficiently as possible. The challenges of recycling are real – especially for glass. A number of municipalities have already dropped or scaled back their glass recycling programs. In other cases, glass is still collected at the curb, but it is pulverized and used not as cullet, but as daily cover for landfills. One rationale for doing that is that the pulverized glass is heavy enough to hold down potential “fly-away” materials. Glass is also inert, so it poses no long-term danger from leeching or disintegration.

Municipalities are still working on ways to preserve their glass recycling programs, in part because consumers understand the recyclability of glass, perhaps better than any other material. Improved sorting technology may be able to enhance the efficiency of the glass sorting process.

Glassprimer™ glass paint is a specialized glass coating that bonds permanently to glass surfaces. GlassPrimer also makes a glass surface molecular activator that is designed to work with UV-inkjet glass printing processes. For more information about Glassprimer™ glass paint, please visit the rest of our site. If you’d like to purchase Glassprimer™ glass paint, please visit our online store.

Photo Credit: Rockman of Zymurgy, via Flickr.com

Glass can help fillings repair tooth decay

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Glass can help fillings repair tooth decay

Glass can help fillings repair tooth decay

Researchers at Queen Mary University in London have released initial data on fillings that can help repair tooth decay. Robert Hill, a professor at the Institute of Dentistry, says that bioactive glass composites play a key role in what could prove to be a new approach to restorative dentistry.

According to Hill, the bioactive glass composites can release fluoride, calcium and phosphate, all key components in enamel repair. The availability of the necessary materials allows the tooth to “self-repair.” In addition to remineralizing the damaged tooth, the bioactive glass increases the alkalinity of the area around the repair, which discourages the bacteria that causes tooth decay. In tests, the glass fillings helped to remineralize cavity-damaged teeth, and slowed secondary decay. This is significant because the average number of cavities among residents of the UK is seven. Eliminating cavities and preserving the health of teeth is key to improving dental health worldwide.

In addition, the glass prolongs the lifespan of composite fillings, and reduces the need to use mercury amalgam fillings. Although dentists are quick to point out that mercury amalgams do not pose a health danger to dental patients, they are unsightly. Patients overwhelmingly prefer tooth-colored dental composites, but some composites may not last as long as mercury amalgams.Eliminating mercury amalgam fillings by 2020 is an internationally adopted professional goal of dentists.

Bioactive glass was developed to assist in bone repair. The glass is compatible with natural body tissues like bone, and work well in dental repair. Bioglass is used extensively in craniofacial repair, synthetic bone grafts and as a treatment for osteomyelitis. The glass discourages the growth of bacteria and allows bones to heal and regrow. In dental applications, the glass assists with decreasing sensitivity in areas where tooth enamel has been lost.

Glassprimer™ glass paint is a specialized glass coating that bonds permanently to glass surfaces. GlassPrimer also makes a glass surface molecular activator that is designed to work with UV-inkjet glass printing processes. For more information about Glassprimer™ glass paint, please visit the rest of our site. If you’d like to purchase Glassprimer™ glass paint, please visit our online store.

Photo Credit: Matt & Nicole Cummings , via Flickr.com

Iconic Glass Structures – One World Trade Center

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Iconic Glass Structures – One World Trade Center

Iconic Glass Structures – One World Trade Center

The One World Trade Center is the primary building in the World Trade Center complex. The building is the focal piece of the WTC, which was rebuilt after the devastating attacks of September 11, 2001. The building is the sixth-tallest building in the world. It has an architectural height of 1,776 feet, and a decorative tip extends the building’s height another 16 feet.

The building has a functional height of 1,268 feet and has 94 floors usable floors, even though the top floor is designated as Floor 104. The combined occupied area of the building exceeds 3.5 million square feet. Construction on the tower was completed in 2013, and the building was opened to tenants in late 2014. Even though it has fewer occupied floors, the rebuilt tower is slightly taller than the original twin towers.

David Childs and Daniel Libeskind designed the building in 2002 as a replacement for the destroyed Twin Towers of the original World Trade Center. The building was rebuilt by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and the construction was completed by Tishman Construction, which also completed the construction on the original World Trade Center towers.

Minoru Yamasaki designed the original World Trade Center, which featured two 110-story towers. The North Tower was completed in 1970. The South Tower was completed in 1972. By the mid-1980’s, the complex had grown to include seven buildings of varying heights, none of which were as tall as the twin towers. Originally, the World Trade Center was intended as a neighborhood revitalization project for Lower Manhattan. On a typical weekday, as many as 250,000 people could be in the towers at one time.

The rebuilt tower design was selected following a competition held in 2002. The winning design underwent a number of modifications before being finalized in 2005. The modifications increased the height of the tower, and made changes to the base of the design to improve its appearance and security. Despite the design delays, a symbolic cornerstone for the building was laid on July 4, 2004.

Construction on the base of the new tower was begun in 2006. The structural steel was completed in 2008. Glass window installation began in 2010. The building uses 2,112 insulated, laminated Viracon glass windows. Glass plays a major role in the shape of the building, and its design was changed a number of times before being finalized. In addition to its glass windows, the building incorporates 13-foot pairs of glass fins at the base. The original design called for prismatic glass to be used at the base of the tower, but this proved to be impractical, and this design element was dropped due to safety concerns. The base of the tower was deliberately designed with no windows, and is surrounded by concrete.

Glassprimer™ glass paint is a specialized glass coating that bonds permanently to glass surfaces. GlassPrimer also makes a glass surface molecular activator that is designed to work with UV-inkjet glass printing processes. For more information about Glassprimer™ glass paint, please visit the rest of our site. If you’d like to purchase Glassprimer™ glass paint, please visit our online store

Photo Credit: Jean-Christophe Bruneau, via Flickr.com