 | This article is written like a research paper or scientific journal. (March 2022) |
A glass is an amorphous solid completely lacking long range periodic atomic structure that exhibits a region of glass transformation. This broad definition means that any material be it organic, inorganic, metallic, etc. in nature may form a glass if it exhibits glass transformation behavior. However prior to 1900 very few non-silicate glasses were known and the theories developed were consequently heavily influenced by existing observations of silicate melts (compounds containing silicon and oxygen). These theories are grouped under the heading of structural theories of glass formation. In later years many non-silicate glasses were discovered and it is recognized today that almost any material is capable of forming a glass given the right experimental conditions and focus has changed from which materials will form a glass to under what conditions will a particular material form a glass. More recent theories focus on the kinetics behind the formation of glass and these kinetic theories of glass formation have largely replaced earlier structural theories.