A Review of Glass and Crystallizations of Glass-Ceramics

The fundamental science behind glass and glass-ceramics in relation to research including syntheses, processing, characterization and applications are critically reviewed in this paper. The crystalline structure of the crystalline phases/s investigated in the literature is also discussed. Throughout this paper, the scene is set toward the overall picture of the rationale behind the choice of a glass system. Additionally, earlier reviews do not include the most recent literature in this fast-moving field. The main methods of synthesizing glasses and glass-ceramics are explained and described in relation to their applications. The paper concludes with recommendations for future research.