Can Glass be conductive & What is the function?

Generally speaking, we all think that ordinary glass is not conductive. In fact, glass is a very good insulator. In some cases, some glass can indeed conduct electricity, and its application scenarios are very wide.

So, which kind of glass can conduct electricity, and in what fields can they be used? In this article, let's talk about this topic.

• Can glass be conductive and how to conduct electricity
  

Ordinary glass, of course, cannot conduct electricity. For example, the common window glass we see is an insulator under normal voltage. Conductive Glass, on the other hand, is a kind of glass with low resistance and can conduct electricity. Usually, we divide conductive glass into two types, namely: volume conductive glass and surface conductive layer glass.

①Volume conductive glass: 
refers to Glass Containing alkaline oxides, silicon oxide, and titanium oxide in its composition. These "extra" components can conduct electricity themselves, making the glass body conductive.

②Surface conductive layer glass: 
refers to a layer of metal film, such as gold, platinum, etc., coated on the surface of ordinary glass. Alternatively, a layer of metal oxide, also called a conductive glass, is coated on the surface of heated glass. Typical examples are tin and indium. This kind of glass does not change the composition of the glass itself, and has clear conductive and insulating surfaces.

Tibbo glass is focus on making surface conductive glass, like metal-coated conductive glass, ITO glass and FTO glass. Could contact our service team for a catalog for reference.

• What is the role of conductive glass
  

As we said before, ordinary glass, such as architectural glass, is mostly non-conductive. However, conductive film glass can be used to make a variety of architectural glasses with special functions, such as dimming glass, solar panels, anti-theft glass, etc.

FTO/ITO conductive glass-etching treatment

Qualified high-quality conductive glass has a high light transmittance. Taking ITO glass as an example, its transmittance can reach 90%. And ITO conductive glass also has high mechanical strength and corrosion resistance. It can be used as glass electrodes in devices such as plasma displays, silicon solar cells, and tuning indicator tubes, and it also has good applications in metal electrolytic cells, electric heating equipment, etc.

What’s more, some conductive glass can also be used to make aircraft windshields.