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DoE Develops Flexible Glass Stronger Than Steel

Posted by Soulskill on from the whale-tested,-scotsman-approved dept.

An anonymous reader writes "The Department of Energy Office of Science recently collaborated with the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and the California Institute of Technology to develop a resilient yet malleable new type of glass that is stronger than steel. The material can also be molded, and it bends when subjected to stress instead of shattering. The glass is actually a microalloy and features metallic elements such as palladium. This metal has a high 'bulk-to-shear' stiffness ratio that counteracts the intrinsic brittleness of glassy materials. The team that developed the material believes that by changing various ratios, they could make it even stronger."

11 of 242 comments (clear)

  1. Obligatory... by drumcat · · Score: 5, Funny

    Transparent Aluminum!?!

    1. Re:Obligatory... by GF678 · · Score: 3, Funny

      Transparent aluminum is called sapphire, its existed for millenia.

      Wow, I bet you're a BIG hit at (Star Trek) parties...

    2. Re:Obligatory... by g0bshiTe · · Score: 3, Funny

      Screw your transparent mythril. I'm waiting for transparent babydoll t's.

      --
      I am Bennett Haselton! I am Bennett Haselton!
    3. Re:Obligatory... by dakameleon · · Score: 3, Funny

      Those are here already. Just add water!

      --
      Man who leaps off cliff jumps to conclusion.
  2. Re:I was excited at first by Dunbal · · Score: 5, Funny

    High costs in no way should discourage Apple customers by now.

    --
    Seven puppies were harmed during the making of this post.
  3. Can I throw stones in a house made of this? by Nkwe · · Score: 4, Funny

    Just asking.

    1. Re:Can I throw stones in a house made of this? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      Yes, but if you throw like a girl your neighbors will see.

  4. Re:Mr. Scott by RJHelms · · Score: 4, Funny

    Buzzkill.

  5. Re:Scottie's here! by SnarfQuest · · Score: 5, Funny

    I had a guy here who could explain just how this stuff worked, but he just couldn't handle using the mouse, and his accent was just too bad for my voice recognization software to handle.

    --
    Who would win this election: Andrew Weiner vs Andrew Weiner's weiner.
  6. Re:Mr. Scott by WGFCrafty · · Score: 5, Funny

    This would be useful for visually seeing how much air is left.

  7. Re:They only needed the aluminim transparent... by arisvega · · Score: 3, Funny

    And besides, which would make you feel better? magically appearing in a black void? Or looking out and seeing the insides of a Bird of Prey?

    I would prefer either, especially if the alternative was to be suddenly called into existence several miles above the surface of an alien planet, against all probability.

    --
    The three laws of thermodynamics:(1) You can't win. (2) You can't break even. (3) You can't even quit.