Tough, Bioinspired Transparent Glass‐Ceramics

Transparent materials with high strength and toughness are highly demanded as engineering materials for consumer electronic, structural, and optical applications. In this article number 2200350 by Qiang Fu and co-workers, a simple bioinspired approach is reported to achieve a combination of high fracture toughness (KIC = 2.0 MPa·m1/2) and optical transparency in a lithium disilicate/apatite glass-ceramic through the creation of an acicular crystalline phase and a weak glassy interface. A tortuous crack path with a high degree of crack deflection, similar to those found in nacre, is observed in the material.