Is transparent aluminum a real thing?

In the Star Trek universe, the term “transparent aluminum” refers to a transparent metal made of elemental aluminum. We cannot create transparent aluminum in real life, but we can get close with two transparent ceramics made from aluminum compounds: magnesium aluminate spinel and aluminum oxynitride.

What is transparent aluminum called?

aluminum oxynitride
Transparent aluminum, also known as aluminum oxynitride, is a transparent polycrystalline ceramic with a cubic spinel crystal structure made of nitrogen, oxygen and aluminum.

What’s the deal with transparent aluminum?

It looks like a tube made of glass but it’s actually aluminum. Well, aluminum with an asterisk beside it — this is not elemental aluminum but rather a material made using it. We got onto the buzz about “transparent aluminum” as a result of a Tweet from whence the image above came.

What are the properties of transparent aluminum rods?

It has good corrosion resistance and resistance to damage from radiation and oxidation. It is about three times harder than steel of the same thickness. Domes, tubes, transparent windows, rods and plates can be produced from this material using conventional ceramic powder processing methods.

Which is the best transparent material for aerospace?

Yttria is fully transparent from 3–5 micrometers, but lacks sufficient strength, hardness, and thermal shock resistance for high-performance aerospace applications. Not surprisingly, a combination of these two materials in the form of the yttria-alumina garnet ( YAG) has proven to be one of the top performers in the field.

Which is harder transparent aluminum or transparent sapphire?

The processes of grinding and polishing mainly enhance the impact resistance and the resulting material is harder than sapphire by 85% and magnesium aluminate spinel by 15%. However, transparent aluminum produced by conventional methods has a high porosity and hence low transparency.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xaVgRj2e5_s