While researching the melting temperature of glass (1400 - 1600 C), I discovered how glass panes ("float glass" [1]) are made: molten glass is floated on molten tin in a positive-pressure of nitrogen (to keep the tin from oxidizing). The molten tin provides a very flat surface for the glass to cool on, which means cheaper glass because you don't have to polish the sides after it cools. I had no idea!
Annoyingly, there's no description of the composition of the glass nor the manufacturing process, it could be transparent rubber for we know.
"The researchers explained that the limits of LionGlass have not yet been found, because they reached the maximum load allowed by the indentation equipment."
Equally vague and obscure. (Surely they could use a guesstimate, when one's test equipment runs out of range there are usually workarounds. Although not as accurate, they at least provide a ballpark measurement.)
Also, the article mentions only crack resistance but nothing about scratch resistance (they're not necessarily the same). I wonder why.
It is indeed likely to be an anorthite-based glass, because anorthite is very abundant, but in any case even without those research papers the description suggests that it must be some kind of alumo-silicate glass.
If the use of such glass would become widespread, we would actually revert to the use of a glass similar in composition with obsidian, a material preferred by our remote ancestors.
Apparently, "about 10 to about 14 mol % of K2O; from 0 to about 4 mol % of CaO; from about 14 to about 18 mol % of Al2O3; and from about 66 to about 74 mol % SiO2" https://patents.justia.com/patent/20220332632 So, an aluminum-potassium-calcium oxide mix instead of the sodium carbonate.
how is the insulation of this new glass, great if it saves emmisions on the production side, but if it lets all the heat in my house fly outside it won't save a thing.
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Float_glass