NOVELTY - Multi-layer article comprises: a) a stainless steel substrate comprising aluminum (up to 10 wt.%), where the stainless steel substrate is in the form of a sheet; b) a borosilicate glass layer disposed directly on at least a portion of a surface of the stainless steel substrate, where there are no intervening layers disposed between the glass layer and the surface of the stainless steel substrate, where the glass layer comprises e.g. silica or alumina, where the glass layer has a coefficient of linear thermal expansion of 3.25x 10-6/ degrees C.    USE - As multi-layer article (claimed) i.e. flexible solar cells and other articles in which a passivated stainless steel surface is desirable e.g. Cu(In,Ga)Se2 (CIGS) cells.    ADVANTAGE - The composition imparts glass-like properties to the surface of flexible materials in order to overcome at least some disadvantages of using common glass substrates in, for e.g. photovoltaic cells. The composition enables to produce a substrate that has the flexibility of a metal, the surface properties of glass, and can be used in a roll-to-roll process for the manufacture of Cu(In,Ga)Se2 (CIGS) cells, without the need for a interlayer coating between the glass coating and the metal substrate.    DETAILED DESCRIPTION - Multi-layer article comprises: a) a stainless steel substrate comprising aluminum (up to 10 wt.%), where the stainless steel substrate is in the form of a sheet; b) a borosilicate glass layer disposed directly on at least a portion of a surface of the stainless steel substrate, where there are no intervening layers disposed between the glass layer and the surface of the stainless steel substrate, where the glass layer comprises SiO2, Al2O3, Na2O, and B2O3, and optionally an oxide selected from the group consisting of Li2O, BeO, MgO, BaO, K2O, CaO, MnO, NiO, SrO, FeO, Fe2O3, CuO, Cu2O, CoO, ZnO, PbO, GeO2, SnO2, Sb2O3, Bi2O3, and/or an oxide of any lanthanide metal, where the glass layer forms a glass film on the stainless steel, and where the glass layer has a coefficient of linear thermal expansion of 3.25x 10-6/ degrees C.