Amorphous aluminium oxide could be the key to a not so brittle future for glass

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A new type of glass has been created that can be stretched and bent at room temperature without snapping. Thin films of amorphous aluminium oxide appear free of the brittleness usually associated with glasses and might one day find use in flexible and ultra-strong electronic devices.

Scientists used lasers to produce a glass structure where the atoms are densely packed without defects, allowing the atoms to switch places with each other.

Use the starter slide with your class to discuss giant covalent and metallic structures and how they relate to their physical properties.

Read the full story in Chemistry World.

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