Noble Glass
Noble glass is a transparent, glass-like metamaterial that exhibits extreme physical durability and resistance to decomposition over time. Though originally called 'noble' in the same sense as the noble gasses, in referrence to its chemically inert nature, many in the Cobalt Protectorate technology sector regard the substance as also symbolizing the noble virtues for its involvement in the creation of vitreous read-only memory (VROM), the vitreous vitae central to the Protectorate's political system, and the monument stones used by Evermornan explorers to mark, catalogue, and preserve their discoveries.
Properties
Material Characteristics
Though similar to fused quartz in terms of density, transparency, chemical resistance, and ability to take on a shine, noble glass is resin-like in its high resistance to cracking. Most noble glass is clear or faintly blue in color, but other colors and opalescence are also possible through the application of dyes and the tuning of the material's micro-scale structure.
Life & Expiration
The tight chemical bonds created within noble glass make the substance highly resistant to all but the most intense weathering. Sufficiently intense heat, such as found at the focal point of multiple laser beams, can break down these bonds temporarily, allowing bubbles to form within the material under controlled conditions. Wind- or water-swept debris can eventually erode the surface of a block of noble glass, but this occurs over a geological timescale. Exposure to ionizing radiation can eventually cause the constituent elements in noble glass to decay, but this similarly takes a long time or intense conditions to come about; outer layers decay first over years, forming a protective translucent patina over the rest of the structure.
History & Usage
Everyday use
Noble glass is found in a wide variety of industrial, military, and consumer products where transparency and durability are both important. Cost is a significant factor, however, as the process of creating noble glass is time- and material-intensive. The low reactivity of noble glass makes it ideal for use in cybernetics, such as indicator the casings of immune augmentation implants, because the material is also biologically inert and will not cause rejection. Other medical devices, such as artificial wombs and cryostasis chambers, often feature noble glass observation ports. VROM is based on noble glass and, by extension, the material finds use in the construction of card computers, holophotos and larger holography tanks, auto-fabricators, HLAI platforms, and more. In industry, reaction vessels made of noble glass have the benefits of glass' transparency limited reactivity without the drawbacks of brittleness, though the cost for a large vessel can be prohibitive. In spaceborne applications, noble glass finds use in starship windows and protective coatings; a properly-tuned subset of the material is infrared-transparent, making it ideal for armored radiator casings.
Type
Glass
Odor
None
Taste
None
Color
Transparent; opalescent, clear, or bluish unless specifically tinted
Common State
Solid at STP
Related Locations
Related Species
Related Items
Related Technologies
Related Professions
I like this. Intriguing material. Also, the article is complete, giving lots of good information without being a long or complicated-to-read article.