New Type of Glass Inspired by Seashells Could Pave the Way for Shatterproof Phone Screens

A team of researchers has created a composite glass that’s three times as strong as tempered glass, and up to 24 times as strong as plain glass.

It’s inspired by the impact-resistant material, nacre.Based on the brick-like nature of nacre’s arrangement, a team of researchers has created a composite glass that’s three times as strong as tempered glass, and up to 24 times as strong as plain glass.

Scientists have developed a new type of shatterproof glass based on the unlikely durability of seashells. The technique is inspired by the brick wall-like arrangement of the natural material, nactreWhether ‘in a car, a building or a smartphone, glass components are always the weakest links and the most fragile in the entire system,’ says Francois Barthelat, a mechanical engineer at McGill University.

But, with recent some inspiration from nature, the researchers say that doesn’t necessarily have to be the case.‘Animals take relatively weak ingredients – a brittle mineral, soft proteins – and turn them into a hard yet extremely tough armor,’ Barthelat said, pointing to the durability of mother-of-pearl.Nacre, which gives the mollusks their tough shell, is arranged like a brick wall, the researcher explains.

READ MORE