Glass ceramics for extreme conditions

NEXTREMA glass ceramics is a new, versatile material family from SCHOTT. It is suitable for extreme conditions and innovative designs with a very small coefficient of thermal expansion and high temperature resistance. The company developed six different versions of this glass ceramic, which differ in particular in color and technical properties.

All six types of NEXTREMA glass ceramics have similar material properties and advantages, but vary slightly in shape from type to type.

NEXTREMA stands for ‘Next EXTREme MAterial,’ and meets the demand for the combination of the properties of technical glass with materials that are resistant to high temperature. This resulted in a number of material specifications for different sectors and applications. Such as a smooth, non-porous surface, high heat and thermal shock resistance, high transmission in the infrared and visible light range and mechanical strength. The NEXTREMA family includes six different versions of glass ceramics, which differ in color and technical properties. Due to an excellent resistance to temperatures up to 950 °C and thermal shock, NEXTREMA glass ceramics is, according to producer SCHOTT, an excellent solution for applications at high temperatures where glass properties are required. With applications ranging from industrial ovens to electric toasters, the material positions itself as an innovative high-tech material, according to SCHOTT.

SCHOTT’s glass ceramics also have an extremely low coefficient of thermal expansion, which is the result of a smart microstructure that ensures that the glass ceramics retain their shape at high temperatures.

The glass ceramic has a wide transmission spectrum in visible light and IR range. In addition to its heat-related properties, the material also has other advantages, such as surface resistance and impermeability to gas, plus the previously mentioned acid and alkali resistance.

It is also important that NEXTREMA glass ceramics are also process-inert. Interfering process factors such as gas emissions of organic components have virtually no influence on the material, even under extreme conditions. This allows it to function reliably under extreme conditions.

More in Innovative Materials number 4 2018