Disclosed in the present invention is a beam coherence eliminating element. The optical medium material of the element comprises microcrystalline glass, wherein microcrystalline particles therein have a size of 0.1-1000 nm and are distributed randomly. As the crystals in the microcrystalline glass can change the phase of light beams, the microcrystalline glass can change the phase of the light beams randomly, thereby eliminating the coherence of the beams. The crystal size of the microcrystalline glass is small, and thus does not affect the transmission efficiency of light beams. The element of the present invention has a simple structure and is convenient to use, and can be added in the process of beam transmission to easily eliminate beam coherence.

A borophosphate glass composition including B.sub.2O.sub.3, P.sub.2O.sub.5, and CaO, and optionally a source additive selected from: Li.sub.2O, Na.sub.2O, K.sub.2O, Al.sub.2O.sub.3, ZnO, MgO, Fe.sub.2O.sub.3/FeO, CuO/Cu.sub.2O, and mixtures thereof, as defined herein. Also disclosed are bioactive compositions or substrates including the disclosed borophosphate glass composition, and at least one live cell. Also disclosed are methods of inhibiting or increasing the relative amount of species containing boron, phosphorous, or both, being released into an aqueous solution from aborophosphate glass composition defined herein. Also disclosed is a method of proliferating cells on a bioactive substrate as defined herein. Also disclosed are related glass compositions that exclude one of B.sub.2O.sub.3, P.sub.2O.sub.5, and CaO.

A method of making a surface-active glass as regenerative anti-fouling material comprising mixing Na.sub.2O and B.sub.2O.sub.3, creating a surface-active glass with a water-soluble glass matrix, wherein the surface-active glass comprises a sodium borate glass consisting of 25 mol % Na.sub.2O and 75 mol % B.sub.2O.sub.3 or wherein the surface-active glass comprises a sodium aluminoborate glass consisting of 10-30 mol % Al.sub.2O.sub.3, 10-30 mol % Na.sub.2O and 70-40 mol % B.sub.2O.sub.3.

A method of making a surface-active glass as regenerative anti-fouling material comprising mixing Na.sub.2O and B.sub.2O.sub.3, creating a surface-active glass with a water-soluble glass matrix, wherein the surface-active glass comprises a sodium borate glass consisting of 25 mol % Na.sub.2O and 75 mol % B.sub.2O.sub.3 or wherein the surface-active glass comprises a sodium aluminoborate glass consisting of 10-30 mol % Al.sub.2O.sub.3, 10-30 mol % Na.sub.2O and 70-40 mol % B.sub.2O.sub.3.

A feed-through through a housing part of a housing, for example of a battery or a capacitor made of a metal, wherein the housing part has at least one opening, through which at least one conductor is fed in a glass or glass ceramic material, and wherein the conductor has at least two sections in the axial direction, a first section made of a first material, e.g. aluminium, and a second section made of a second material, e.g. copper, as well as a transition from the first to the second material, and wherein the transition from the first to the second material is located in the region of the glass or glass ceramic material, said glass or glass ceramic material being adapted to the metal of the housing in such a way that a compression glass-to-metal seal is formed.

Disclosed herein are methods and apparatuses for adding thermal energy to a glass melt. Apparatuses for generating a thermal plasma disclosed herein comprise an electrode, a grounded electrode, a dielectric plasma confinement vessel extending between the two electrodes, and a magnetic field generator extending around the dielectric plasma confinement vessel. Also disclosed herein are methods for fining molten glass comprising generating a thermal plasma using the apparatuses disclosed herein and contacting the molten glass with the thermal plasma. Glass structures produced according to these methods are also disclosed herein.

An optical boroaluminate glass article comprises: from greater than or equal to 10.0 mol % to less than or equal to 30.0 mol % Al.sub.2O.sub.3; from greater than or equal to 10.0 mol % to less than or equal to 55.0 mol % CaO; from greater than or equal to 10.0 mol % to less than or equal to 25.0 mol % B.sub.2O.sub.3; from greater than or equal to 0.0 mol % to less than or equal to 30.0 mol % SiO.sub.2; and from greater than or equal to 1.0 mol % to less than or equal to 20.0 mol % refractive index raising components. The optical boroaluminate glass article has a refractive index of the glass article, measured at 589.3 nm, of greater than or equal to 1.62, and a density of less than or equal to 4.00 g/cm.sup.3.

An optical boroaluminate glass article comprises: from greater than or equal to 10.0 mol % to less than or equal to 30.0 mol % Al.sub.2O.sub.3; from greater than or equal to 10.0 mol % to less than or equal to 55.0 mol % CaO; from greater than or equal to 10.0 mol % to less than or equal to 25.0 mol % B.sub.2O.sub.3; from greater than or equal to 0.0 mol % to less than or equal to 30.0 mol % SiO.sub.2; and from greater than or equal to 1.0 mol % to less than or equal to 20.0 mol % refractive index raising components. The optical boroaluminate glass article has a refractive index of the glass article, measured at 589.3 nm, of greater than or equal to 1.62, and a density of less than or equal to 4.00 g/cm.sup.3.

A method of decorating a glass substrate having a coating, said method comprising: applying a paste onto at least a portion of said coating in a desired pattern; drying said paste to form a dried paste in said desired pattern; and firing said dried paste to form an enamel in said desired pattern, said enamel being directly bonded to said glass substrate by dissolution of the portion of the coating to which the paste is applied during the firing step. The paste comprises a solids portion dispersed in a dispersion medium, said solids portion including a composition comprising: 10 to 40 mol % ZnO; 20 to 40 mol % B.sub.2O.sub.3; 25 to 65 mol % Bi.sub.2O.sub.3, TeO.sub.2, or PbO, or mixtures thereof; and to 15 mol % Al.sub.2O.sub.3.

A method of decorating a glass substrate having a coating, said method comprising: applying a paste onto at least a portion of said coating in a desired pattern; drying said paste to form a dried paste in said desired pattern; and firing said dried paste to form an enamel in said desired pattern, said enamel being directly bonded to said glass substrate by dissolution of the portion of the coating to which the paste is applied during the firing step. The paste comprises a solids portion dispersed in a dispersion medium, said solids portion including a composition comprising: 10 to 40 mol % ZnO; 20 to 40 mol % B.sub.2O.sub.3; 25 to 65 mol % Bi.sub.2O.sub.3, TeO.sub.2, or PbO, or mixtures thereof; and to 15 mol % Al.sub.2O.sub.3.