Glass and ceramics

Glass


It is a mixture of two or more types of metallic silicates but the main component is silicon(IV) dioxide.

Figure 6 : Structure of silicon dioxide

Glass has the following properties:

Transparent

Chemically inert

Hard but brittle

Physical properties of glass

Electrical insulator Impermeable to liquid

Heat insulator

Due to the above reasons and the low cost involved to produce glass, it is used in industry to make bottles, cooking utensils, plates and bowls, laboratory apparatus (such as conical flask, beakers and test tubes), window panes, bulbs and others.

Different types of glass can be obtained depending on the composition of substances in it.

Types of Glasses There are four types of glass which are as follows: y Fused glass y Soda-lime glass y Borosilicate glass y Lead crystal glass

Soda lime glass:



This is obtained when limestone (CaCO3) and sodium carbonate (Na2CO3) are mixed with molten silica and cooled down. It is also known as soft glass as it has a low melting point. Most glass produced is soda lime glass. But it breaks easily, thus it is mainly used to make kitchen utensils.

 

Lead glass:


This is formed when a mixture of lead(II) oxide, sodium oxide and silica is heated together. Lead glass of better quality contains a higher percentage of PbO. Its refractive index and density being high, it has a glittering and attractive surface, thus it is also called crystal glass.

 

Borosilicate glass:


Boron oxide (B2O3) and sodium carbonate is added to molten silica to obtain borosilicate glass or pyrex.. The presence of B2O3 makes the glass able to withstand high temperatures and chemical reaction. It does not break easily, thus it is used to make laboratory apparatus and cooking utensils.

Fused silicate glass:



Sand (silica) is heated until it melts at 1700C, and the viscous liquid is cooled immediately. This produces a transparent solid with an uneven arrangement of atoms, called fused silicate glass.

This glass cannot expand or contract easily when there are temperature changes. But it cannot become misshapen because of its high melting point. It is known as quartz glass.

Summary Name of glass Properties Chemical composition Examples of uses

Very high softening point (1700 C) hence, highly heat resistant Transparent to ultraviolet and infrared Fused glass light Difficult to be made into different shapes Does not crack when temperature changes (very low thermal expansion coefficient) SiO2 (99%) Ba2 O 3 (1%) Telescope mirrors, Lenses Optical fibres Laboratory glass wares

Very resistant to chemical reactions Low softening point (700 C), hence, does not withstand heating Breaks easily Cracks easily with Soda lime glass sudden temperature changes (high coefficient of expansion) Less resistant to chemical reactions Easy to be made into different shapes SiO2 (70%) Na2O (15%) CaO (3%) Bottles Windowpanes Light bulbs Mirrors Bowls ( The most widely used type of glass)

Others (5%)

High softening point (800C). Thus it is heat resistant Does not crack easily with sudden temperature Borosilicate glass changes Transparent to ultraviolet light More resistant to chemical reactions Does not break easily SiO2 (80%) Ba2 O 3 (15%) Na2O (3%) Al 2 O 3 Laboratory apparatus Cooking utensils Electrical tubes Glass pipelines

SiO2 (55%) Low softening point (600 C) Lead crystal glass High density High refractive index Reflects light rays and appears spar kling PbO( 30%) K2O (10%) Na2O ( 3%) Al2 O 3 ( 2%)

Decorative items Crystal glass-wares Lens Prisms Chandeliers

Ceramics


Ceramic is a substance that is made from clay and hardened by heat in a furnace maintained at a high temperature. Clay is composed of aluminosilicate with sand and iron(III) oxide as impurities. Iron(III) oxide, Fe203, gives a reddish colour to the clay. Kaolin, or clay in its pure form, is white in colour. It consists of crystals of hydrated aluminosilicate with the formula Al2Si2O7.2H2O or Al2O3.2SiO2.2H2O. The different classes of ceramic include:

Quartz SiO2 Calcite CaCO3 Mixture of CaSiO3 and aluminium silicate Aluminium oxide Al2O3 Silicon dioxide SiO2 Magnesium oxide MgO Silicon nitride Si3N4 Silicon carbide SiC Boron nitride BN Boron carbide B4C3

The preparation of ceramic objects involves 3 stages: 1. A layer of water exists between the aluminosilicate crystals. This gives it a plastic-like property when wet. Thus the clay is first wet to make it soft before it is shaped. 2. The shaped object is then dried. At this stage, the product can still be reshaped by adding more water. 3. The dried object is heated to a temperature of 1000C in a furnace. The product of this stage cannot be softened with water or reshaped.

The surface of ceramic object is usually coated with a layer of mineral or metallic silicate and baked again in the furnace to produce a shining and impervious ceramic object. The properties of ceramics include the following:

Very hard and strong

Resist compression

Properties of ceramics

Chemically inert and does not corrode

Very high melting point

Good insulator of electricity and heat

The differences between the properties of ceramics, metals and non-metals are given below.

Property Hardness Density Melting point Resistance to heat Heat and Electrical conductivity Chemical reactions

Metals Hard but malleable and ductile High High High Good conductor Corrodes

Non-metals Ceramic Soft and Hard but brittle brittle Low Low Low Good insulator Corrodes Average Very high Very high Good insulator Stable, does not corrode

Uses of Glass and Ceramics



The raw materials used in the making of glass and ceramic materials are obtained from the earth's crust. Silica or silicon(IV) dioxide, SiO2, form the most important component of glass and ceramics. In the SiO2 molecule, each silicon atom is held in a tetrahedral structure by four oxygen atoms. Each oxygen atom is held by two silicon atoms. This is repeated until a giant threedimensional molecule results.

Properties of glass and ceramic:



Both have the following properties:

Hard and do not bend Do not corrode strong under compression

Common properties of glass and ceramics

Inert to chemicals Brittle

Good heat insulators

Good electrical insulators

New Uses of Glass and Ceramics



The latest use of glass is to make photochromic glass and conducting glass while ceramics is used to produce superconductors and car engine blocks.

Photochromic glass


Photochromic glass is very sensitive to light. It darkens in the presence of bright light and lightens when the amount of sunlight lessens. The glass is produced by adding silver chloride (or silver bromide) and some copper(II) chloride to normal glass. Silver halides decompose to silver and its halogen when exposed to ultraviolet rays. Thus we have:

It is the silver which makes the glass become dark.



When there is a decrease in light, silver chloride is formed again:

Therefore the glass lightens.

Conducting glass


Conducting glass is a type of glass which can conduct electricity. It is obtained by coating a thin layer of a conducting material around the glass, usually indium tin(IV) oxide or ITO.

Conducting glass can also be obtained by embedding thin gold strips into a piece of glass. This is used to make the front windows of aeroplanes which tend to mist at very high heights. By passing an electric current through this glass (containing gold as conductors), the water of condensation will dry up. Superconductors are electrical conductors which have almost zero (0) electrical resistance. Therefore, this conductor minimises the loss of electrical energy through heat. Perovsite is a type of ceramic superconductor composed of itrium oxide, copper oxide and barium oxide. Superconductors are also used to make magnets which are light but thousands of times stronger than the normal magnet. Car Engine Block--When clay is heated with magnesium oxide, the ceramic that is produced has a high resistance to heat. This material is used to build the engine blocks in cars as they can withstand high temperatures