Surface quality is becoming more and more crucial in glass applications, often determining the main features of the glass, namely, mechanical strength, optical properties and adhesion to other materials. The physico-chemical aspects of the glass surface, particularly the nature of the surface sites, are described in this paper, together with their environmental interaction mechanisms. The effects of these interactions are discussed, with particular reference to the structure of a soda-lime-silica glass surface covered by a layer of water, organic and inorganic pollutants and crystals belonging partially to glass elements. The influence of the interaction of water and the pollutants with the glass surface sites on wettability and mechanical properties of the glass is finally considered.
