Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) of Silica Glass Fractures

Historically, the mirror region of glass fractures has been referred to as smooth. In both reflected light microscopy (RflM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), the mirror region indeed looks smooth. This is a function of the representative measurement scale of the instrument. By contrast, an AFM can provide fracture surface elevation measurement below the resolution of an SEM. After doing so, one finds that the fracture surface of a silica glass fracture does have nano-scale surface texture that can be quantified by roughness or by fractal dimension.