Righini Giancarlo C, Ferrari Maurizio, Lukowiak Anna, Macrelli Guglielmo
Nello Carrara Institute of Applied Physics (IFAC CNR), Sesto Fiorentino, 50019 Firenze, Italy.
Institute of Photonics and Nanotechnologies (IFN CNR, CSMFO Laboratory) and FBK Photonics Unit, Via alla Cascata 56/C, Povo, 38123 Trento, Italy.
Materials (Basel). 2025 Apr 29;18(9):2010. doi: 10.3390/ma18092010.
The recent fast advances in consumer electronics, especially in cell phones and displays, have led to the development of ultra-thin, hence flexible, glasses. Once available, such flexible glasses have proven to be of great interest and usefulness in other fields, too. Flexible photonics, for instance, has quickly taken advantage of this new material. At first sight, "flexible glass" appears to be an oxymoron. Glass is, by definition, fragile and highly breakable; its structure has puzzled scientists for decades, but it is evident that in most conditions it is a rigid material, so how can it bend? This possibility, however, has aroused the interest of artists and craftsmen since ancient times; thus, in Roman times the myth of flexible glass was born. Furthermore, the myth appeared again in the Middle Age, connected to a religious miracle. Today, however, flexible glass is no more a myth but a reality due to the fact that current technology permits us to produce micron-thick glass sheets, and any ultra-thin material can be bent. Flexibility is coming from the present capability to manufacture glass sheets at a tens of microns thickness coupled with the development of strengthening methods; it is also worth highlighting that, on the micrometric and nanometric scales, silicate glass presents plastic behavior. The most significant application area of flexible glass is consumer electronics, for the displays of smartphones and tablets, and for wearables, where flexibility and durability are crucial. Automotive and medical sectors are also gaining importance. A very relevant field, both for the market and the technological progress, is solar photovoltaics; mechanical flexibility and lightweight have allowed solar cells to evolve toward devices that possess the advantages of conformability, bendability, wearability, and moldability. The mature roll-to-roll manufacturing technology also allows for high-performance devices at a low cost. Here, a brief overview of the history of flexible glass and some examples of its application in solar photovoltaics are presented.
消费电子产品，尤其是手机和显示屏最近的快速发展，催生了超薄、因而可弯曲的玻璃。一旦问世，这种可弯曲玻璃在其他领域也被证明具有极大的吸引力和实用性。例如，柔性光子学很快就利用了这种新材料。乍一看，“柔性玻璃”似乎是一种矛盾修饰法。根据定义，玻璃易碎且极易破碎；其结构几十年来一直困扰着科学家，但很明显，在大多数情况下它是一种刚性材料，那么它怎么能弯曲呢？然而，自古以来这种可能性就引起了艺术家和工匠的兴趣；因此，在罗马时代，柔性玻璃的神话诞生了。此外，这个神话在中世纪再次出现，与一个宗教奇迹有关。然而如今，柔性玻璃不再是神话，而是现实，因为当前技术使我们能够生产出微米厚的玻璃板，而且任何超薄材料都可以弯曲。柔韧性源于目前制造几十微米厚玻璃板的能力以及强化方法的发展；还值得强调的是，在微米和纳米尺度上，硅酸盐玻璃呈现出塑性行为。柔性玻璃最重要的应用领域是消费电子产品，用于智能手机和平板电脑的显示屏以及可穿戴设备，在这些领域柔韧性和耐用性至关重要。汽车和医疗领域也日益重要。对于市场和技术进步而言，一个非常重要的领域是太阳能光伏；机械柔韧性和轻质特性使太阳能电池能够朝着具备贴合性、可弯曲性、可穿戴性和可模压性等优势的设备发展。成熟的卷对卷制造技术还能以低成本生产高性能设备。在此，将简要概述柔性玻璃的历史及其在太阳能光伏中的一些应用实例。
