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Strength Improvement of Glass Substrates by Using Surface Nanostructures
Amarendra Kumar1, Kunal Kashyap1, Max T Hou2
1Institute of Nanoengineering and Microsystems, National Tsing Hua University, No. 101, Section 2, Kuang-Fu Road, Hsinchu, 30013, Taiwan.
Nanoscale Research Letters
|May 20, 2016
Summary
Surface nanostructures enhance glass bending strength, particularly in defect-rich borosilicate and aluminosilicate glasses. This method also improves the strength of defect-free fused silica by mitigating artificial defects.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Nanotechnology
- Glass Engineering
Background:
- Glass strength is significantly compromised by inherent surface and subsurface defects and heterogeneities.
- Different glass compositions possess varying defect densities, influencing their mechanical properties.
- Existing methods for glass strengthening often have limitations.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the efficacy of surface nanostructures in improving the bending strength of various glass types.
- To understand the influence of pre-existing and artificially introduced defects on nanostructure-induced strengthening.
- To evaluate the reliability and applicability of nanostructure-based strengthening across different glass defect densities.
Main Methods:
- Fabrication of surface nanostructures on three glass types: borosilicate, aluminosilicate, and fused silica.
- Bending strength testing of glass specimens before and after nanostructure fabrication.
- Introduction of artificial defects (square notches) in low-defect density glass (fused silica) to study defect-nanostructure interactions.
- Fragmentation testing to assess the impact of nanostructures on fracture behavior.
Main Results:
- Borosilicate and aluminosilicate glasses showed significant bending strength improvements of 118% and 48%, respectively, after nanostructure fabrication.
- Fused silica exhibited limited strength improvement with nanostructures alone but showed a 65% increase in strength recovery when 2-μm nanostructures were combined with a 4-μm artificial defect.
- Nanostructure fabrication on fused silica with artificial defects increased the number of fragments during fracture tests, indicating controlled failure.
- Regained original strength in fused silica when nanostructure depth matched artificial defect depth.
Conclusions:
- Surface nanostructure fabrication is a viable method for enhancing the bending strength of glasses with high defect densities.
- The technique is effective for low-defect density glasses like fused silica, especially when addressing dominant artificial defects.
- Nanostructure-based strengthening is suitable for all glass types, regardless of initial defect density, and improves reliability (Weibull modulus).
