We talk about glass from time to time when we're discussing polymers, especially when we're talking about composite materials. Glass fibers are often used to reinforce polymers. But what is this stuff called glass? We use it with polymers a lot, obviously, but is glass itself a polymer?
Before we tackle that question, let's take a look at what glass is. The highest quality glass has the chemical formula SiO2. But this is misleading. That formula conjures up ideas of little silicon dioxide molecules, analogous to carbon dioxide molecules. But little silicon dioxide molecules don't exist.