Combinatorial glass research system

A combinatorial research system for glass science and technology has been developed. The combinatorial batch preparation apparatus can prepare 24 different batches in a four-component system within an hour. The glass-formation tester can manage 24 melting tests in 1 h. The speed was roughly 100 times larger than in the case of manual operation. The combinatorial glass batch preparation apparatus can deal about 100 batches a day during 9 h operation. Top views of the samples on the tray were taken with a CCD camera after cooling. CCD video figures were stored on a computer for the judgment of the transparency of the samples to compile a glass-forming region. DTA curves were measured on the samples using a commercially available DTA apparatus equipped with an automatic sample changer. For the evaluation of the thermal stability of the glasses, the combinatorial glass sample melter and annealer can assist the quick preparation of a conventional time–temperature– transformation (T–T–T) curve. The combinatorial glass research system makes it possible to get a new glass system together with the data of thermal stability within a week. # 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved