Fraunhofer researchers develop coating to make glass bottles more durable

Developers from EXXOSQEL GmbH and the Fraunhofer Institute for Silicate Research ISC in Würzburg have created a novel coating designed to make glass bottles significantly more shatter-resistant. The technology works by bridging microscopic cracks on the glass surface, preventing them from expanding and causing breakage.

By increasing the material's resistance, the developers have already achieved a 15 percent reduction in weight. They estimate that a weight reduction of up to 40 percent could be possible in the future. Such a reduction would lead to lower raw material consumption, decreased energy requirements during manufacturing, and reduced weight during transportation.

In laboratory tests, coated glass containers withstood impacts of ten joules and pressures of 40 bar without breaking. While the process currently functions at a laboratory scale, achieving the full 40 percent weight reduction target will require further improvements in industrial glass shaping processes.