Fragments of glass from ancient Rome yes. I am transformed over time in hi-tech materials: buried by dust and subjected for centuries to variations in humidity and contact with different types of minerals, they became photonic crystalsi.e. the innovative materials which I am underlying quantum technologies. This was discovered by two Italian researchers from Tufts University in Massachusetts, Fiorenzo Omenetto and Giulia Guidetti. Their research is published in the journal of the United States Academy of Sciences, PNAS, and could simplify methods for producing these materials of the future.
The discovery arose by chance, the researchers themselves said, on the occasion of a visit to the Center for Technologies for Cultural Heritage of the Italian Institute of Technology in Genoa where in a case there were fragments of Roman glass found in Aquileia and dating back to the first century BC. Initially attracted by the particular iridescence of the glass. the researchers analyzed the fragment with a scanning electron microscope, discovering its incredible structure.
The investigations highlighted that the outermost layers of the glass were thin, very regular sheets of silica, a few micrometers thick, placed in such a way as to reflect specific wavelengths of light. A particular patina that could have formed through cyclical corrosion and reconstruction processes due to environmental conditions and the dust that covered the glass. “It’s really extraordinary to have a glass that sits in the mud for two millennia and you end up with something that is a textbook example of a nanophotonic component,” commented Omenetto. The discovered glass has, in fact, characteristics very similar to some photonic crystals, i.e. materials that reflect light in such a way as to have applications in some modern technologies, for example as switches for optical communications or for storing quantum information. Understanding how ancient glass developed these characteristics could transform the production of photonic crystals, making it more economical and efficient.
Reproduction reserved © Copyright ANSA
Source: Ansa
I am a journalist with over 6 years of experience working in the news industry. I currently work as an author for Global Happenings, and my coverage focuses on Technology news. I have written for various publications, including Reuters, The New York Times and The Guardian.
