Three-Dimensional Laser Engraving for Fabrication of Tough Glass-Based Bioinspired Materials

Glass has many attractive properties including transparency, durability, low electrical conductivity, and corrosion resistance, but its brittleness still limits the range of its applications. Three-dimensional laser engraving has been explored to generate three-dimensional (3D) networks of weak interfaces within the bulk of glass. These interfaces deflect cracks and dissipate energy by friction, with mechanisms that are similar to fracture in mollusk shells or teeth.Confocal microscopy was used to characterize the morphology of laser-induced microcracks in borosilicate glass and ceramic glass, and the effective toughness of laser-engraved interfaces was measured. The effect of microcrack spacing on interface morphology, damage parameter, fracture surface, and fracture toughness was explored. Architectured borosilicate glass panels based on a simple grid pattern were then fabricated.These all-brittle panels do not require mechanical confinement and can absorb significantly more impact energy than monolithic glass provided that the interface toughness is tuned properly.