Transparent Aluminum

Well,

The article mentions that the crystalline structure was kept. I am assuming that the elastic modulus and the dislocations movement mechanism are kept as well. So, yes, it could be possible.

But there's a long way to go I guess. The effect was noted for some femtoseconds. It was done in a very tiny area. It became transparent to ultraviolet light. And behaved more like silicon!

Pretty cool. But I can imagine some uses better than holding whales. How about power sources that last for life?

I posted this on my blog when it came out:

http://pmpaspeakingofprecision.com/2009/08/17/scientists-make-transparent-aluminum/

At 40 femtoseconds of existence, And the energy flux of a small city to knock out the electrons in the target, building a tank would be quite an engineering feat. However if thaey can knock the electrons out permanently (I think a dilithium electron permeable membrane similar to what we use in fuel cells today) might do the trick.

The size of the specimen produced was 1/20th the diameter of a human hair, so to craft a tank would be a challenge at current technology and budgets. However, if the whales can be shrunk, it might be possible in say, another 25 years...

milo

Aluminum Oxide crystals found in large quantities are semi transparent. so making a transparent Aluminum would not seem to be that far fetched.

Chester John

ayyyahhhhhhh---

to save typing again, refer to:

http://cr4.globalspec.com/comment/435966

&

http://cr4.globalspec.com/comment/436285

Now go support Jerry's kids... :`)

...they COULD (be/have been) YOURS...

transparent aluminum might be a good thing. How about gills for people? The only reason we can't live indefinitely underwater (on the continental shelf, for example, but there's no reason we couldn't walk on the ooze at the bottom of the mariana trench once we acclimated to the pressure). 70% of the earth is denied to us simply because we gave up gills when we stopped being amphibians. It would eliminate drowning, for one thing. A handicapped person wouldn't have to drag himself along in the thin air, but could live, dance, and do acrobatics in a thick medium like water.

Screw transparent aluminum. Gimme gills.