This award supports William A. Lanford and a graduate student of the University at Albany, SUNY, to collaborate in studies of the surface chemistry of glass with Dieter R. Fuchs and others of the Fraunhofer Institute for Glass Research in Wurzburg, Germany. The scientific goal of their research is to improve understanding of the mechanisms leading to the corrosion of glasses. This requires sophisticated techniques of chemical and physical analysis to characterize the state of the glass surface as it is changed by exposure to water and gases. The collaborating Fraunhofer Institute has world class facilities for traditional glass chemistry. Among other activities, the German group is currently very involved in research to provide a sound basis for treatments to conserve historic stained glass. They have developed some glass compositions to use as test models for appropriate experiments, and are working on various coatings to protect old glasses from further deterioration. The U.S. team at the Accelerator Laboratories of SUNY Albany brings to the collaboration special expertise and equipment for nuclear reaction analysis and various spectrometric methods that are necessary for the surface characterization. They will also participate in experimental analysis of new coatings developed originally for use in the microelectronic industry. The results of this research will increase knowledge of the chemical reactivity of glass surfaces, a subject with diverse implications in industry and every day life. The proposed collaborative research will make an immediate contribution to the current international effort to preserve historic stained glass, through the involvement of the German institute in a NATO sponsored project on this subject. Sound conservation efforts require as complete knowledge as possible of the mechanisms leading to the corrosion of these glasses.
