Scientists use metal organic compounds to create a new type of glass

The main component of traditional glass is silicon dioxide, but friends who have watched Star Trek may remember a certain "transparent aluminum" material mentioned in it. Although it is not common for science fiction to shine into reality, researchers at Pennsylvania State University have recently made a breakthrough by creating a zinc based "metal organic compound glass". This material is called ZIF-62, with a structural formula of a zinc atom surrounded by molecules of imidazolate and benzimidazole.

ZIF-62 is a metal organic compound (1 metal atom+2 types of organic compounds)

Friends familiar with glass technology may have some impression of boron, polymers, and metals doped in the manufacturing process. But the latest research from Pennsylvania State University has created a completely new type of glass.

It is worth mentioning that this new material is not only easier to form glass and more flexible, but also has the same pyramid shaped atomic structure as quartz glass. (Zinc is at the vertex, with four organic compounds connected to it)

According to the academic definition, "glass" must have a sufficiently smooth, amorphous structure, and therefore must be carefully balanced during the production process. Regardless of the material used, it must be heated to the point of melting and then rapidly cooled (in order to prevent crystal formation).

In other words, a certain material has a method to avoid crystallization, which is considered to have the ability to form glass. In traditional craftsmanship, silicon glass has the best glass forming ability. However, researchers have found that the performance of ZIF-62 is even better.

Research Figure-2: Analysis of Property Changes (via Science Advances)

In fact, the characteristics of ZIF-62 have surpassed the existing 50 types of glass and are more flexible than silicon-based glass. By adjusting the formula, researchers found that the more benzimidazole is added, the better the glass forming ability of the material. 

Of course, compared to the silicon-based glass process that has been refined and improved for thousands of years, ZIF-62 is not without its drawbacks. In the early stages of development, new materials are still difficult to compete effectively with traditional craftsmanship. In order to manufacture a brand new metal organic glass, the first step is to form organic compounds.

First, mix it with hydrated zinc nitrate and a solvent, and then heat it at a temperature of around 800 ° C (427 ° C) for a long time before it can completely melt. But if the temperature exceeds 980 ° C (527 ° C), it will start vaporizing again. 

At present, researchers have conducted experiments on the optical and mechanical properties of ZIF-62. However, while understanding the properties of the material itself, the research team is also searching for relevant methods to enable large-scale production in the future. 

The co-author of the paper, John C. Mauro, stated, "This glass family is very novel, and although we have determined its glass forming ability and other properties, we have not fully described all of its material properties.

In the future, researchers also plan to explore other metal organic glass formulations, including possible cobalt based glasses. The details of this study have been published in the recently published journal Science Advances.