Borosilicate Glass Sheets

Borosilicate Glass Sheets

Diamond Coatings UK are possibly the global leading specialists in the supply of borosilicate glass sheets. Having properties more diverse and far superior to normal glass, these glass sheets are beneficial to a variety of industries and applications. Moreover, they are the perfect substrate for a range of coatings such as indium tin oxide (ITO) coatings.

But what are these properties, how is it made and what are its applications?

How it’s Made:

Borosilicate glass consists primarily of silica, boric oxide, sodium oxide, potassium oxide and calcium oxide (70%, 10%, 8%, 8% and 1% respectively). The sheets are created by melting these components together at temperatures of up to 560° C to meet the materials transition temperatures. These temperatures are obviously far greater than those required to make normal glass.

The materials and their properties are more expensive to produce, yet its superior durability and properties make it an economical choice both in terms of production and use as it is almost guaranteed to last longer.

Properties:

This combination of materials results in a colourless, clear, low soda glass that has an extremely low coefficient for thermal expansion of 3.2 x 10-6 1/K, Knoop hardness (at 20° C) of 400 – 480, and a 2650 – 27000 MPa Shear modulus, making it very resistant to thermal stresses. It also not only maintains its integrity when on the receiving end of thermal shocks that would cause other types of glass to warp and can also withstand blunt force impacts far better than other types of glass.

A common use for borosilicate glass is laboratory glassware. This is because it is highly resistant to acid mixtures, acid and neutral solutions and concentrated acids; chlorine, iodine and bromine; water and organic substances. Moreover, it even has a superior chemical resistance to most metals and other materials even when exposed for prolonged periods at temperatures greater than 100° C.

The optical properties are also superior. Borosilicate is a so-called crown glass with negligible absorption in the spectral (approximately 310nm to 2,200nm) range, low dispersion and comparatively low refractive indices (1.51 to 1.54) across the range of visible light.

Borosilicate Glass Applications:

Combining its existing properties with industry-leading indium tin oxide coatings makes borosilicate glass the superior choice for a range of applications, such as:

• Circuit Substrates
• Display Technology (i.e. varying industries’ critical display equipment, TFT flat screens, etc.)
• Microscope Slides/Cover Slips
• Heated Windows
• Mobile Communications Antennas
• Transparent Electrodes
• Transparent EMC/EMI/RFI Shielding

DC Borosilicate Glass Options

We can provide borosilicate glass sheets (and indeed all our glass substrates):

• Fully dimensioned
• Chemically or/and thermally toughened
• With radius, chamfers (profiled), holes and/or cut-outs
• Polished to match the specific optical and/or flatness requirements of customers
• With ITO, anti-reflective and/or anti-glare coatings
• With printed graphics and/or borders

For additional information and to order Diamond Coatings borosilicate glass sheets, click here.

To learn more about our coating options for borosilicate/other substrates and/or to discuss any specific requirements for your application, please get in touch with our technical experts, who will be happy to advise and assist you.