Is Glass Conductive?
No, glass is not conductive.
Well, this is awkward and makes for a pretty boring blog – but hold on… Glass can become conductive.
(Yay, back on track)
Although glass is not conductive, there is a method to make the glass surface conductive. This is achieved by using a Transparent Conductive Oxide (TCO).
What is a Transparent Conductive Oxide?
The clue is in the name – a substance (an oxide) that is both transparent and electrically conductive. TCOs can be deposited onto a glass surface as a thin layer, allowing the glass to remain transparent and also become conductive.
ITO (Indium Tin Oxide) is the most common Transparent Conductive Oxide in use today and can be applied to substrates including plastic, PET film and glass.
What Is Conductive Glass Used For?
Quite a lot actually and some of the applications may surprise you – you probably use conductive glass everyday (hint- your cell phone!).
Common applications include energy saving smart glass and heated windows (used primarily in aviation and military vehicles, but now also being utilised in luxury car manufacture and train cockpit windows). Infrared detectors, photovoltaic solar cells and EMI/RFI shielding also include conductive glass components.
We mentioned smart glass and this is an important one for the future. The conductive glass can be manipulated to control the quantity of UV rays entering the interior of a room, which can lower heating costs and air conditioning costs dramatically.
And heated glass has a huge importance in our lives – imagine being a pilot and having to combat rises and falls in external temperatures without a conductive glass window – The cockpit glass has a small charge running across the surface which allows heat to be generated, keeping a pilots view unobstructed no matter what altitude or conditions they are facing.
Oh… the cell phone? Yes, the one you might use every day… If it has a touch screen, there is a really good chance that there is ITO present across the surface of the screen. When you touch your screen in a specific place, with a specific gesture, the device can register the location and gesture of touch due to a change in charge at the touch point.
Do you need Conductive Glass?
If you have a requirement for conductive glass, we would like to hear from you. We have a range of conductive glass available to purchase at the Diamond Coatings website. If you would prefer, please make contact with us today – a member of out technical team will respond as soon as possible.
