Review Articles

Featured Publication

Beyond the Average: Spatial and Temporal Fluctuations in Glass-Forming Systems

Katelyn A. Kirchner, Daniel Cassar,  Edgar D. Zanotto, Madoka Ono, Seong H. Kim, Karan Doss, Mikkel L. Bodker, Morten M. Smedskjaer, Shinji Kohara, Longwen Tang, Mathieu Bauchy, Collin J. Wilkinson, Yongjian Yang, Rebecca S. Welch, Matthew Mancini, and John C. Mauro, Chemical Reviews (2022). 

Advanced tools for unveiling nucleation in nanostructured glass-ceramics

Maziar Montazerian, Matthew Mancini, and John C. Mauro, Critical Reviews in Solid State and Materials Sciences (2022). 

Advancing the Mechanical Performance of Glasses: Perspectives and Challenges

Lothar Wondraczek, Eran Bouchbinder, Allen Ehrlicher, John C. Mauro, Roman Sajzew, Morten M. Smedskjaer, Advanced Materials (2022). 

Indentation and abrasion in glass products: Lessons learned and yet to be learned

 Arun K. Varshneya, Guglielmo Macrelli, Satoshi Yoshida, Seong H. Kim, Andrew L. Ogrinc, John C. Mauro, International Journal of Applied Glass Science (2022).

Model-driven design of bioactive glasses: from molecular dynamics  through machine learning 

M. Montazerian, E.D. Zanotto, J.C. Mauro. International Materials Review 2019.

Understanding glass through Differential Scanning Calorimetry

Q. Zheng, Y. Zhang, M. Montazerian, O. Gulbiten, J.C. Mauro, E.D. Zanotto, Y. Yue, Chemical Reviews 2019, 119(13), 7848-7939.

Viscosity of glass-forming systems

Q. Zheng and J.C. Mauro, Journal  of the American Ceramic Society 2016, 100(1), 6-25.

Statistical mechanics of glass

J.C. Mauro and M.M. Smedskjaer, Journal of Non-Crystalline Solids 2014, 396-397, 41-53.

Piezoelectric glass-ceramics: crystal chemistry, orientation mechanisms, and emerging applications

Katy S. Gerace, John C. Mauro, Clive A. Randall, Journal of the American Ceramic Society 2021, 104(5), 1915-1944.

Beyond the Average: Spatial and Temporal Fluctuations in Glass-Forming Systems

Katelyn A. Kirchner, Daniel Cassar,  Edgar D. Zanotto, Madoka Ono, Seong H. Kim, Karan Doss, Mikkel L. Bodker, Morten M. Smedskjaer, Shinji Kohara, Longwen Tang, Mathieu Bauchy, Collin J. Wilkinson, Yongjian Yang, Rebecca S. Welch, Matthew Mancini, and John C. Mauro, Chemical Reviews (2022).

Atomic structure dictates the performance of all materials systems; the characteristic of disordered materials is the significance of spatial and temporal fluctuations on composition–structure–property–performance relationships. Glass has a disordered atomic arrangement, which induces localized distributions in physical properties that are conventionally defined by average values. Quantifying these statistical distributions (including variances, fluctuations, and heterogeneities) is necessary to describe the complexity of glass-forming systems. Only recently have rigorous theories been developed to predict heterogeneities to manipulate and optimize glass properties. This article provides a comprehensive review of experimental, computational, and theoretical approaches to characterize and demonstrate the effects of short-, medium-, and long-range statistical fluctuations on physical properties (e.g., thermodynamic, kinetic, mechanical, and optical) and processes (e.g., relaxation, crystallization, and phase separation), focusing primarily on commercially relevant oxide glasses. Rigorous investigations of fluctuations enable researchers to improve the fundamental understanding of the chemistry and physics governing glass-forming systems and optimize structure–property–performance relationships for next-generation technological applications of glass, including damage-resistant electronic displays, safer pharmaceutical vials to store and transport vaccines, and lower-attenuation fiber optics. We invite the reader to join us in exploring what can be discovered by going beyond the average.