Scientists Discover a New State of Matter: Liquid Glass

Hello, ATS. So, I've come across this article where they claim to have a new state of Matter known as liquid glass. Apparently, glass is considered neither a solid nor a liquid but instead what's called a Rigid Liquid, which I didn't know. This post may be a little confusing because the headline says "New State of Matter" while in the article it says "New Phase of matter." Whichever it is, it sounds pretty cool.

In exciting new research, scientists have uncovered a new phase of matter: liquid glass.

Glass has special, wild properties that make it of ongoing interest to scientists as well as the general public, meaning research into glass behavior is still making pretty big strides forward. Liquid glass could help scientists better understand other pieces of the glass puzzle.

Think about how ice freezes—not just in your freezer, but even in snowflake form or over puddles. You can see with the naked eye how orderly this process is, with crystals forming and extending toward the center of the pond, for example, or around the edge of the ice cube tray. This is how almost every liquid turns into almost every solid: by organizing and becoming crystalline first.

But not glass. This mysterious liquid-to-solid transition is more like teenagers caught at a kegger: frozen exactly in place, with no order whatsoever.

So, glass is neither liquid or solid...? And it's transition between liquid and solid has no order.....? I think if this concept is applied to the right applications the possibilities could be limitless. This makes me think about something I heard concerning Jupiter some years back where some scientists were postulating on whether Jupiter had a giant diamond for its sore or something like that. This also makes me think of the Terminator in Terminator 2 which operated utilizing liquid metal. But hey, what do I know? I'll leave it up to the scientific wizards at ATS to mull over this. So, What say u, ATS?

www.popularmechanics.com...

Glass was always a liquid, just a very viscous one.

Nothing new here.

Move along, move along...

I do remember years ago seeing a programme on the TV about how glass is a very very thick liquid and that can be demonstrated when looking at hundreds of years old church windows which now are way thicker at the bottom edge of the panes compared to the top edges. I remember finding that so fascinating as I had always thought glass was a solid.

I heard that in school many years ago. I hope no one said it was a new discovery.

originally posted by: HalWesten
I heard that in school many years ago. I hope no one said it was a new discovery.

Yes...you too..lol. That is exactly what I was thinking. This was about the first time I felt amazed about science in my life when I heared my science teacher saying this about glass.....many, many moons ago.

The house I grew up in had glass windows on the front porch where the top was paper thin and the bottom was finger fat.
I looked into it, you're supposed to rotate the windows every decade or so to prevent that.

We tried to rotate three, they were all too brittle on the thin side and shattered.

Very, very old knowledge.

Nothing new about this, unless I'm now in some alternate Mandella universe where science is behind on the times.

This doesn't seem like new news to me. In fact, I believe that fiber optic cable is created on the very principles of glass being able to remain flexible. I think I watched a documentary on it about ten years or so ago.

originally posted by: HalWesten
I heard that in school many years ago. I hope no one said it was a new discovery.

According to the article this is being touted as a new state or phase of matter. Whereas in other forms of liquid which have a very orderly freeze pattern, liquid glass has a very random pattern when freezing. I think the randomness upon freezing is the exciting part. IDK, just wanted to bring it to ATS for dissection.

I want to know when they're going to discover transparent aluminum!

a reply to: caterpillage

Thats been done.

Its called Aluminium Oxynitride.

originally posted by: CthulhuMythos
I do remember years ago seeing a programme on the TV about how glass is a very very thick liquid and that can be demonstrated when looking at hundreds of years old church windows which now are way thicker at the bottom edge of the panes compared to the top edges. I remember finding that so fascinating as I had always thought glass was a solid.

I'm going to look this up now but I'm sure that was just a misconception.

I'll be back...

from Gizmodo

By studying a glob of 20 million-year-old amber, scientists have proven once and for all that glass does not flow.

originally posted by: a325nt
The house I grew up in had glass windows on the front porch where the top was paper thin and the bottom was finger fat.
I looked into it, you're supposed to rotate the windows every decade or so to prevent that.

We tried to rotate three, they were all too brittle on the thin side and shattered.

Very, very old knowledge.

Not true though.

Just a misconception that's been handed down.

originally posted by: Lazarus Short
Glass was always a liquid, just a very viscous one.

Nothing new here.

Move along, move along...

That’s how you can verify antiques, especially old glass panes. They sag.

originally posted by: Lazarus Short
Glass was always a liquid, just a very viscous one.

Nothing new here.

Move along, move along...

It isn't new, from the Gizmodo article I linked above from 2013...

So glass, in this funky state of neither being a solid or liquid, has led some to assume that it’s still potentially in a state of flow.

originally posted by: 38181

originally posted by: Lazarus Short
Glass was always a liquid, just a very viscous one.

Nothing new here.

Move along, move along...

That’s how you can verify antiques, especially old glass panes. They sag.

They don't. Read my link above.

originally posted by: djz3ro

originally posted by: 38181

originally posted by: Lazarus Short
Glass was always a liquid, just a very viscous one.

Nothing new here.

Move along, move along...

That’s how you can verify antiques, especially old glass panes. They sag.

They don't. Read my link above.

Damb, you are right!

I unlearn something new everyday!

originally posted by: andy06shake
a reply to: caterpillage

Thats been done.

Its called Aluminium Oxynitride.

Well I'll be.

originally posted by: lostbook
Hello, ATS. So, I've come across this article where they claim to have a new state of Matter known as liquid glass. Apparently, glass is considered neither a solid nor a liquid but instead what's called a Rigid Liquid, which I didn't know. This post may be a little confusing because the headline says "New State of Matter" while in the article it says "New Phase of matter." Whichever it is, it sounds pretty cool.

In exciting new research, scientists have uncovered a new phase of matter: liquid glass.

Glass has special, wild properties that make it of ongoing interest to scientists as well as the general public, meaning research into glass behavior is still making pretty big strides forward. Liquid glass could help scientists better understand other pieces of the glass puzzle.

Think about how ice freezes—not just in your freezer, but even in snowflake form or over puddles. You can see with the naked eye how orderly this process is, with crystals forming and extending toward the center of the pond, for example, or around the edge of the ice cube tray. This is how almost every liquid turns into almost every solid: by organizing and becoming crystalline first.

But not glass. This mysterious liquid-to-solid transition is more like teenagers caught at a kegger: frozen exactly in place, with no order whatsoever.

So, glass is neither liquid or solid...? And it's transition between liquid and solid has no order.....? I think if this concept is applied to the right applications the possibilities could be limitless. This makes me think about something I heard concerning Jupiter some years back where some scientists were postulating on whether Jupiter had a giant diamond for its sore or something like that. This also makes me think of the Terminator in Terminator 2 which operated utilizing liquid metal. But hey, what do I know? I'll leave it up to the scientific wizards at ATS to mull over this. So, What say u, ATS?

www.popularmechanics.com...

Wait till they teach you about molecular entrainment which is the control mechanism that will bring us many new things.