Non-abrasive polishing of glass

Supersmooth surfaces are often needed in high- and new-technology products. The traditional polishing method to obtain supersmooth surfaces is abrasive polishing. In this paper, a new kind of polishing method, non-abrasive polishing (NAP), is presented. The polishing wheel of NAP is made of ice that is frozen deionized water, so there is no abrasive in the polishing wheel. Compared with traditional polishing methods, NAP can obtain Ångström-order surface roughness values free from microscratches and subsurface cracks. Based on adhesion theory, the material removal mechanism of NAP is presented in the paper. The paper also analyzes the polishing equipment and processing technique of NAP. The best surface roughness, R_a=0.48 nm, of K9 glass is obtained using NAP. According to the relationship between surface roughness and adhesion, the surface roughness fluctuation phenomenon is explained in the paper. The surface roughness fluctuation phenomenon is expected to be avoided by measuring the fractal dimension of the polished surface.