On Topic - Transparent Aluminum

I guess it's "interesting" in a way, but since there isn't even the suggestion of a possibility of it remaining transparent without constant application of large amounts of energy, I'm not sure there's any use for this particular transformation (unless it has other properties that make it useful in a physics lab).

It does remind me of the Star Trek movie they reference...where the crew goes to great lengths, including changing the course of history on earth, to obtain some "transparent aluminum"... Of course no one ever explains why "normal" aluminum wouldn't have made a perfectly sufficient whale tank other than the fact that it wouldn't have looked as cool...

It's a work in process... And likely will lead to (other) new knowledge - that will lead to new principles and materials.

quotes:

For a brief period the sample looks and behaves in every way like a new form of matter. In certain respects, the way it reacts is as though we had changed every aluminum atom into silicon: it?s almost as surprising as finding that you can turn lead into gold with light!

Transparent aluminum is just the start. The physical properties of the matter we are creating are relevant to the conditions inside large planets, and we also hope that by studying it we can gain a greater understanding of what is going on during the creation of 'miniature stars' created by high-power laser implosions, which may one day allow the power of nuclear fusion to be harnessed here on Earth

As for the Star Trek movie, regular aluminum wouldn't allow us to see the whales! What fun would that be???

They turned out to be steelworkers, running their steel mill in the nanoworld - the chemists around Prof. Dr. Roland A. Fischer (faculty of chemistry of RUB). In the neverland between molecule and metal they discovered a new family of compounds. The prototype of these new ?nano alloys? is a compound containing one central molybdenum atom binding twelve zinc atoms. The icosahedral metal chunk is wrapped into hydrocarbons and therefore surprisingly stable. Its construction is transferable to both other metal centers and other structures. Also the zinc atoms can be exchanged to other metal atoms, even to gold.

I don't recall exactly; what was their reason for not using, say,

Thanks, Rich

They DID use standard polycarbonate. They "paid" the factory boss by giving him the chemical formula for transparent aluminum. Scotty punches it all into the "quaint" computer and the boss says "it will take years to study this matrix" Then Scotts answer is "Aye, but you'll be rich beyond the dreams of avarice"

Have been a LONG time fan of Trek and many other science fiction.

Nobody would run the press release?

The process described is closer to Larry Niven's mining tool that neutralizes the charge on electrons, so the proton repulsion causes the target material to explode violently.

jsw

I still ask "Has the federation forgotten about Plexiglas?"

tschus pyotr

- pyotr filipivich We will drink no whiskey before its nine. It's eight fifty eight. Close enough!

On Fri, 31 Jul 2009 17:14:41 -0700, the infamous pyotr filipivich scrawled the following:

Yes, it's old hat. TA is so much more clear and strong that plexi was retired many stardates ago.

-- A great preservative against angry and mutinous thoughts, and all impatience and quarreling, is to have some great business and interest in your mind, which, like a sponge shall suck up your attention and keep you from brooding over what displeases you. -- Joseph Rickaby

Let the Record show that Larry Jaques on or about Fri, 31 Jul 2009 18:43:10 -0700 did write/type or cause to appear in rec.crafts.metalworking the following:

Oh, sort of like asking for good old fashioned wrought iron nails.

- pyotr filipivich We will drink no whiskey before its nine. It's eight fifty eight. Close enough!

Your cash is trash???

Let the Record show that "Ed Huntress" on or about Sat, 1 Aug 2009 19:21:17 -0400 did write/type or cause to appear in rec.crafts.metalworking the following:

Call the fire department, arraign for a "training burn". Fun for the whole family and you can even bring marshmallows! If you bring marshmallows, then it is a "cooking fire" - and exempt from the burn ban, too! B-)

tschus pyotr

- pyotr filipivich We will drink no whiskey before its nine. It's eight fifty eight. Close enough!

Now I'm merely confused. Could you expand on your point so that I could be confused at a higher level?

pyotr

- pyotr filipivich We will drink no whiskey before its nine. It's eight fifty eight. Close enough!

I'll do it for him...

Detritus is trash (except in books by Terry Pratchett, in which Detritus is a troll :)

Denarius was a Roman coin that morphed into the British Penny. Also:- Solidus was a Roman coin that morphed into the British Shilling. Librum was a pound weight. This, in fine gold morphed into the British Pound.

Regards Mark Rand RTFM

Bad form to reply to one's own posts but:-

Librum was a pound weight. This, in fine _silver_ morphed into the British Pound.

Mark Rand RTFM

On Sat, 1 Aug 2009 16:04:40 -0700, the infamous "Calif Bill" scrawled the following:

Yep. I've read about that many times and I still shake my head every time. What a waste!

-- A great preservative against angry and mutinous thoughts, and all impatience and quarreling, is to have some great business and interest in your mind, which, like a sponge shall suck up your attention and keep you from brooding over what displeases you. -- Joseph Rickaby

Wood was cheap, just took a lot of labor to saw enough wood for a house. When you lack money, you put more sweat equity into a job.

what a sterling description!