According to a new study, engineers have created glass 200 times stronger than a standard pane.
The glass, which is inspired by mollusc shells, is strengthened by introducing a network of microscopic cracks and can absorb impacts better by yielding and bending slightly instead of shattering, News 24 reported.
A team at McGill University in Montreal studied natural materials like mollusc shells, bone and nails and used a 3D laser to engrave microscopic fissures into glass slides.
They filled the fissures with a polymer in order to make the glass 200 times tougher.
The engraved glass, which can "stretch" by almost five percent before snapping, might be useful in making bullet-proof windows, glasses, or even smartphone screens.
The study was published in journal Nature Communications.
