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MacRoscopic Properties: The World We See

Phases of Matter and Intensive Properties

What is a glass?

A glass is a noncrystalline solid—it lacks order in the solid state. In polymer chemistry, scientists are concerned with the glass transition temperature (Tg), which is the temperature at which a material changes from a hard to a rubbery state. What’s neat about this transition is that the material is not changing phases (i.e., from solid to liquid), but is changing from one type of solid to another.