glassbased

Glassbased is a term used to describe materials or products in which glass or glass-derived constituents form the primary component. This includes glass matrices in composites, glass-ceramics, glass foams, and other fully glassy materials designed for specific properties.

Common forms include glass-reinforced composites in which glass fibers or particles are embedded in a polymer, metal, or ceramic matrix, and glass-ceramics in which crystalline phases are embedded in a glassy matrix to combine toughness with hardness. Glass-based materials can also refer to specialized glass matrices used for insulation or as substrates in electronics.

Production methods vary by type. Glassy, fully amorphous materials are produced by melting and forming. Glass-ceramics are created by controlled crystallization of a glass to develop desirable crystalline phases. Composites involve fiber fabrication, layup or weaving of reinforcement, and resin infusion or binding. Glass foams are produced by foaming agents during melting or by incorporating foaming agents into glass powders followed by shaping and heat treatment.

Key properties depend on form but may include high hardness, chemical resistance, and optical transparency in certain grades, along with brittleness and limited fracture toughness in many glass-based solids. Thermal properties also vary, with some glass-ceramics offering low thermal expansion and certain foams providing low density and good insulation.

Applications span architecture (glazing and insulation), automotive and aerospace components (weight reduction with adequate strength), electronics (substrates and packaging), cookware (glass-ceramics), and biomedical uses for biocompatible glass materials.

Environmental considerations include energy use in melting processes and recycling challenges for composites; end-of-life strategies focus on recycling glass components and recovering reinforcement materials where feasible.

See also: glass, glass-ceramics, fiberglass, composite materials.