Characterization of Amorphous Materials

Dear Colleagues,

We have entered the “Glass Age” due to the revolution in electronic devices, such as smart phones, liquid crystal displays, wearable fitness devices, tablets, optical fiber communication, and automotive interior displays, to name a few. Glass is an amorphous material, and, as such, has no long-range order as crystals do. This characteristic presents special challenges in terms of elucidating their structure and properties. The term amorphous has been used synonymously with glass, but there are several other types of amorphous materials, such as polymers, gels, thin films, metals, and nanostructured materials. Glass is a material that undergoes a glass transition temperature, Tg, where the material is transformed from a hard, rigid solid state to a more flexible, rubbery state. This property can be measured by Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) and gives information on the type of glass. For example, silica has a relatively high glass transition temperature, whereas fluorides have a comparatively low one. Amorphous polymers generally have a Tg much lower than that found in a traditional glass.

There are many techniques that can be used to determine the structure/properties of a glass or other amorphous materials, such as Total Neutron Scattering, Fluctuation Microscopy, Ellipsometry, Raman Spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), Secondary Ion Mass Spectroscopy (SIMS) or Time-of-Flight SIMS, and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) to name a few. The properties that we can measure are numerous with a variety in relevance that is dependent on the application. These may be nearest-neighbor interactions, mechanical properties, depth profiles, optical properties and environmental durability.

The versatility of glass makes their possibilities almost limitless. With this is mind, it is our pleasure to invite you to submit a manuscript for this Special Issue. Full papers, communications, and reviews are all welcome.

Prof. Jacqueline Johnson
Dr. Lee Leonard
Guest Editors

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