News in Brief Materials Science

Etched glass stops cracks in their tracks

Adding wavy lines reduces material’s notorious brittleness

CRACK STOPPER  Wavy lines etched into glass absorb energy, stopping cracks from busting through the brittle material.

M. Mirkhalaf et al/Nature Communications 2014

By Meghan Rosen

- More than 2 years ago

Carving squiggly lines into glass can actually toughen it up. The new engraving technique could keep wine glasses, windowpanes and medical implants from shattering.