Flexible glass: myth and photonic technology

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.