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Breakthough Makes Transparent Aluminum Affordable

Posted by Soulskill on from the hello-computer dept.

frank249 writes: In the Star Trek universe, transparent aluminum is used in various fittings in starships, including exterior ship portals and windows. In real life, Aluminium oxynitride is a form of ceramic whose properties are similar to those of the fictional substance seen in Star Trek. It has a hardness of 7.7 Mohs and was patented in 1980. It has military applications as bullet-resistant armor, but is too expensive for widespread use.

Now, there has been a major breakthrough in materials science. After decades of research and development, the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory has created a transparent, bulletproof material that can be molded into virtually any shape. This material, known as Spinel (magnesium aluminate), is made from a synthetic powdered clay that is heated and pressed under vacuum into transparent sheets. Spinel weighs just a fraction of a modern bulletproof pane.

6 of 247 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Gemstone by killkillkill · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Bulletproof and hardness are different things. Glass is much harder than polycarbonate, for instance.

  2. the next iphone case? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Interesting

    who will be the first to make a phone case from this?

    1. Re:the next iphone case? by schlachter · · Score: 3, Interesting

      why would u build a phone case from this when you could just build the phone from it?

      --
      My God can beat up your God. Just kidding...don't take offense. I know there's no God.
  3. Well written by myrdos2 · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I must say, that was an unusually well-written article. Good information level, not dumbed down, and the writer actually sounded like she knew what she was talking about.

    I'm shocked.

  4. Re:Bullets are OK, but... by CanadianMacFan · · Score: 3, Interesting

    But the question is what happens to it when it does break. You don't want a bunch of extra shards of material being added as projectiles in a collision. One of the features of safety glass is that when it breaks there aren't (or many) pointy edges created.

  5. what about temperature? by Lead+Butthead · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Will it shatter easily at low (think -30) or high (think 120+) temperature?

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