At a recent industry show, Nippon showed off some new glass
that is amazing. It first seemed like a joke as a sign said
"Invisible glass" with arrows pointing into thin air. Visitors
were asked if they could see the glass and many could not. There
really was glass, but it didn't become apparent until viewed
from the side. The glass reflects just 0.08 percent of the light
that travels through it. A normal sheet of glass reflects about
4 percent of light. Nippon Electric Glass said it is targeted at
museums where items need to be displayed, but protected.
It also showed off G-Leaf glass, which is so thin and flexible
that it is supplied on a roll to customers. It looks exactly like a roll of plastic film, but the 35-micron
thick sheet is actually glass. It has been used in flexible
display panels and can be gently curved around corners.
Nippon also showed the impact resistance of its chemically
strengthened glass that is already used in smartphones and
tablet PCs. A sheet of Zero glass was on display and every
thirty seconds a one pound steel ball dropped from a height of
three feet onto a sheet of the glass the size of a small TV
screen. Every time the ball fell, it bounced off the glass with
no damage to the glass. Sorry, no picture available for the
invisible glass.