Utrecht physicists create equilibrium glassy phase from rod-shaped particles
Glass appears to be a solid, but in theory it sometimes behaves more like an extremely slow liquid.
Physicists in Utrecht now show that glass-like structures can also exist in equilibrium, which is something many theories say should be impossible.
The bottom parts of medieval window panes, such as those in old cathedrals, are often thicker than the top. Has the material slowly flowed downward over the centuries, and does this mean that glass actually flows? This is a persistent myth, and the explanation lies in the way glass was produced in the Middle Ages. Because window panes were made by hand, their structure was often irregular and contained thinner and thicker parts. The panes were usually installed in the frame with the thicker side at the bottom, which made them more stable.
Still, the story touches on a real physics question. What glass actually is, a solid or a very slow liquid, turns out to be more difficult to answer than it seems. Researchers at Utrecht University have now created a glass-like state that is in thermodynamic equilibrium. According to common theories, such a state should not really be able to exist. “A glass and an equilibrium state exclude each other in many people’s minds,” says Thijs Besseling, first author of the study.
At the Debye Institute for Nanomaterials Science for Sustainability, we bring together chemistry and physics to study the properties of materials at the nanometer scale. Our 5 research groups concentrate on three key research themes: Catalysts & Energy Materials, Colloids & Biomaterials and Nanophotonics & Quantum Materials.
The institute is named in honor of Peter Debye (1884-1966), a Dutch scientist and Nobel laureate who was a true pioneer in the field of physical chemistry and chemical physics.
Debye Annual Lecture speaker 2025: Prof. J. Schuck
The Debye Annual Lecture is a special annual event at which an internationally renowned scientist delivers a keynote lecture on one of the institute’s fields of interest. Debye Annual Lecture speaker of 2025 is Jim Schuck, he is a professor in mechanical engineering at Columbia Unversity. He will present the Deybe Annual Lecture on 5 november, 2025.