Scientists from Pennsylvania State University have developed LionGlass glass, which can withstand 10 times the load of ordinary glass and is produced with significantly reduced levels of carbon dioxide emissions. Future glasses may become lighter and stronger and require lower production costs.

Glass has accompanied our civilization for nearly 5000 years. It’s everywhere, from windows to dishes. Traditionally, glass is produced by melting quartz sand, soda ash and limestone. The melting temperature of the mixture reaches 1500°C, accompanied by high energy consumption and accompanying CO emissions.₂as well as increased wear and tear on bakery equipment and tools. Also, a lot of carbon dioxide is released during the chemical reaction of glass formation. Together, they make glass production an environmentally friendly process.

The scientists replaced the carbonates in the mixture with aluminum oxide and iron oxides. This immediately lowered the melting temperature of the mixture by 300–400 °C and allowed to reduce the energy consumption for melting by 30%. The absence of carbonate in the mixture also reduced the formation of CO.₂ during a chemical reaction that allows us to talk collectively about reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 50% or more during the production of LionGlass glass.

In addition, tests of LionGlass glass’s hardness and cracking have shown it to be at least 10 times stronger than ordinary glass. According to the Vickers method, if ordinary glass begins to crack under a load of 100 g, then LionGlass glass will withstand a load of 1 kg without damage. The research team was unable to determine the final load for the new glass, as it did not have a heavier load on the measuring complex.

But even this result is encouraging. Microcracks for glass are a path to rapid destruction. A tenfold increase in strength according to this indicator promises to make glasses and other glass products significantly thinner without sacrificing strength properties, which is another way to reduce production costs.

Scientists have applied for a patent for the LionGlass invention. In the next stage, they will start looking for partners to commercialize the new glass. In parallel, they conduct experiments to test LionGlass against a variety of conditions and chemical environments that will help determine its scope of application.