Glass: Material of the Visible and Invisible Glass: Material of the Visible and Invisible

Glass technology continues to evolve, resulting not only in stronger, better and cheaper products but also in more efficient applications that require less energy and are environmentally more friendly. Lecture by glass expert Mathieu Hubert on the possibilities of glass for consumers and producers

Glass is everywhere in our everyday lives. It has been used by men for more than 3000 years, and it has evolved all along, making it always better, of higher quality, responding to more and more demands from the consumers, and creating new opportunities for new applications. We encounter glass all the time very directly, for instance in the form of bottles, tableware, decoration objects, windows, mirrors, screens& But glass is also an essential material for many applications and in many places where we do not suspect and cannot see it. It is notably essential for telecommunications, in reinforcement of plastics, insulation panes in our houses, and even sometimes in healthcare products and for bones and tissue repairing. In this presentation, the different ways glass is used around us was presented, and the future of glass and its applications were explored. The technological breakthroughs which allowed for glass to be so widely used were highlighted.

The goal of this lecture was to highlight how glass truly is an essential material for both visible and "invisible" applications, and how vital it is and will be in everyone's life. Mathieu Hubert works for CelSian Glass&Solar (formerly TNO Glass Group). He received a Ph.D for his study of glass technology at the universities of Rennes (France) and Arizona (Tucson, US).