Researchers at Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (Germany) have devised a photocurable liquid material that may give glass the advantage when it comes to creating microstructures. Called Liquid Glass, or LiqGlass, the nanocomposite material is a photocurable liquid of amorphous silica nanopowder, hydroxyethylmethacrylate monomer, and phenoxyethanol solvent. Because it is a liquid, the nano-composite easily can be molded at room temperature to the desired shape and structure using soft polymer moulds. The composite then can be thermally treated to remove the polymers, yielding a glass solid. According to the authors, "Liquid glass is a step toward prototyping of glass microstructures at low cost without requiring clean room facilities or hazardous chemicals.
