Emerging techniques for customized fabrication of glass

Abstract

Inorganic glasses have been the one of the most important families of inorganic materials used by human society. The ability to fabricate glasses with customized shapes is of high significance for a diverse range of applications. We review the recent advances in the development of techniques for fabricating glass items with pre-designed geometries. Most of these methods are based on the high-temperature densification of the green parts, which are formed by the preshaping of the composites containing inorganic feedstock (e.g., SiO₂) by molding, nanoimprinting and 3D printing, with resolutions down to the sub-micron level. These methods have also enabled the fabrication of multicomponent glass systems and the incorporation of traces of metal ions or nanoparticles as dopants with optical functionalities. In this review, these low-temperature routes are compared with the direct 3D printing route for the fabrication of glass by selective laser melting and fused deposition molding, which rely on high-temperature melting/sintering of glass powers or filaments. Finally, the benefits of different methods for fabricating glass in a customizable manner are discussed and potential future directions are highlighted.