European Researchers Discover "Perfect Glass"

European researchers claim they have moved closer to creating a clearer, more durable glass, a breakthrough that could help companies present their food products in a high-quality package. In a joint research project, scientists from the UK, France and the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF) monitored the change in the structure of zeolites, crystalline solids, which they claim helped to create an almost perfect glass when heated under controlled conditions that respected this structure. The teams say they were able to do this by recording vibrations involving groups of atoms in zeolites that subsequently characterise the glass. The full results of the research were published in Science Magazine, 27th May 2005, pp 1299-1302