Conductive Glass Coating

Conductive Glass Coating

Can glass be conductive? What is conductive glass used for? Why would you need conductive glass? If you have been asking the above questions, we have the answers for you below…

Can glass be conductive?

In short, yes! The glass itself is not conductive, strictly speaking but by applying a conductive glass coating, the glass becomes conductive. This is mostly and widely achieved by using ITO (Indium Tin Oxide).

ITO works really well for making glass conductive as it is electronically conductive and is transparent – useful for glass and display applications!

What is conductive glass used for?

A surprising amount of applications utilise conductive glass. A smartphone or tablet may use conductive glass for its touch capability. Other touch panel screens in retail, medical and military environments would also utilise conductive glass.

Other applications that utilise conductive glass include Infrared detectors, photovoltaic solar cells, RFI/EMI shielding, energy saving smart windows and even microscope slides.

Why would you need conductive glass?

A really good example of conductive glass being used would be an aircraft windshield. As you would be aware, temperatures will drastically fall during flight at high altitude. To prevent a windshield from freezing up, a voltage is passed through the ITO coated glass to provide the required heat

Another utilisation would be for low emissivity (Low-E) glass windows. The conductive ITO glass actually improves the environmental impact of buildings by regulating temperatures within the building, reducing the need for heat or air conditioning.

Diamond Coatings

Diamond Coatings offer a full range of conductive glass for a variety of applications. We can also provide anti reflective finishes and thermally or chemically toughened options.

For more information on our conductive glass options, or to speak to a team member about your specific requirements, please get in touch with us today.