What the Tech?!? #5 - Transparent Aluminium
It's an idea straight out of Star Trek, but Aluminium oxynitride (commonly known as Transparent Aluminum, or Aluminium Glass), isn't science fiction at all!
Image Source: Star Trek IV - The Voyage Home
Aluminium Oxinitride is manufactured and marketed as ALON by Massachusetts-based Surmet Corp.
Surmet Corp. was founded in 1982 with a commitment to provide cost effective advanced material solutions to its industrial customers with a focus on next generation machines, systems and applications.
-http://www.surmet.com/company/index.php
ALON is created by filling molds with a powder mix made up of aluminium, oxygen, and nitrogen. This powder is super-heated, resulting in an incredibly strong, transparent ceramic. It can be molded into incredibly large panes, and a many number of shapes.
The resulting material is incredibly durable, being able to withstand things no ordinary window would ever survive, no less come out of unscathed. The test below shows a granite projectile a bit smaller than a ping pong ball, colliding with the panes at over a third the speed of sound! The pane on the left: regular glass... On the right: ALON.
Durability and utility can be a deadly combination...
If you hadn't already guessed where the funding and inspiration for this new type of glass came from, you've got the largest military in the world to thank for it.
Over the last 12 years, Surmet has invested large sums of monies to build up its vertically integrated optical ceramics manufacturing capability. Surmet gratefully acknowledges US DOD funding help in this accomplishment.
-http://www.surmet.com/technology/alon-optical-ceramics/index.php
From improved bullet-proof windows, to better missile guidance systems and transparent armor for land and air vehicles, ALON is used in a wide variety of military and aerospace applications.
What the future may hold...
ALON is available commercially, though its use has yet to become widespread. This could mainly be due to cost, though mass production will still need scaling before it can really become useful in our daily lives. Potential future uses of Aluminium oxynitrate include "unbreakable" smartphone screens and camera lenses, damage resistant windshields for cars, and way more! Imagine dropping your brand new phone, and knowing when you pick it up, your screen won't have a single crack...
It may take some time before it starts being used in many of the things we use everyday, but when it does, Transparent Aluminum could change the way we see glass forever!
References:
- http://www.surmet.com/technology/alon-optical-ceramics/index.php
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aluminium_oxynitride
- https://makezine.com/2012/01/17/transparent-aluminum/
- https://www.azom.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=8095
Thanks for reading! If you enjoyed this post, let me know in the comments below! If you have a cool idea for my next 'What the Tech?!?' posts, let me know about that as well! If you learned something new today, consider resteeming this post so your followers can learn all about Transparent Aluminium, too!
Good post but also bittersweet because you beat me to this topic. Oh well.
When I heard about this my first thought was that it couldn't be in metallic from as the electron sea of metals would not allow it to be transparent.
Then I saw the formula in your post and it all came clear: some type of ceramic. Still nice though.
Thanks for stopping by!
Indeed, pure aluminium would be impossible to make transparent with today's tech.
The transparency here comes from the spinel structure of the heated ceramic. This isometric configuration allows photons to pass right through! Crazy stuff!
That sounds like something amazing to have in areas that deal with hurricanes. I doubt the cost could be reduced down enough for now at least to be made into full sized windows for homes. I imagine there be some other issues as well. Quote interesting at the very least.
It certainly would cost a pretty penny, but Surmet says these panes can be fabricated into windows as large as 18"x35", like this one which has invisible seems...
The idea of using such a technology in places susceptible to hurricanes or other natural disasters is something I didn't even think about! That would indeed be a very good use for this!
Would it be great to see there internal numbers on economies of scale. I wonder what there cost would look like if they sold 5 million 24 by 24 inch windows.
Always the issue with military productions. They just never produce enough due to limit of customers to get costs down enough. At the very least getting into the cellphone market would help out a lot. As long as it would work with the next gen tech of finger print scanners being under the glass. Such a strong glass might also solve the issue of glass to bevel ratio.
I could see a lot of banks, and cashiers working the nightshift wanting to be behind something like that if it was better than "bullet proof glass" which really only goes up so far in caliber if that stuff was much better.
Oh yeah. This stuff can stop multiple 50 cal rounds, and will even stand up to an IED!
Absolutely fascinating! It is amazing what is possible with the technology we have today, and you showcased this amazing thing very well! So cool that you shared this information!
And you did a GREAT JOB co-hosting the show! Bravo! 😊
I love these little bits of "Hey did you know"... actually
"no I did not know", so super glad you put it together for us to gain some insight from.
Science and Technology are doing so many amazing things, who knows what we will see next 😃