Thin, bendable glass for devices shown

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CORNING, N.Y., June 5 (UPI) -- Corning says its new Willow Glass, an ultra-thin, flexible glass, could revolutionize the shape and form of next-generation consumer electronic technologies.

The maker of thin, tough Gorilla Glass already found in many smartphone and mobile devices said its thinness, strength and flexibility has the potential to enable displays to be "wrapped" around a device or structure.

It can be used to develop conformable, curved displays for immersive viewing or mounting on non-flat surfaces, a Corning release said Monday.

"Displays become more pervasive each day and manufacturers strive to make both portable devices and larger displays thinner," Dipak Chowdhury, Willow Glass program director, said.

Willow Glass is reported to be about 100 microns thick -- about the thickness of a sheet of printer paper -- as flexible as plastic and scratch-resistant.

The glass could also find uses in flexible solar cells and lighting, Corning said.