Transparent Aluminum (AlON) and Other "Sci-Fi" Materials Becoming Reality
Ever wondered if the materials seen in the fictional world could ever become reality? Popularized by Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, this technology has moved from fiction to high-grade armor on vehicles. ALON is not a metal, but a polycrystalline ceramic of aluminum, oxygen, and nitrogen. It is produced by a high-temperature "sintering" process, often yielding a substance that must be polished to achieve transparency. It is 4 times harder than fused silica and 85% as hard as sapphire, making it vastly more scratch-resistant and durable than traditional glass. Transparent aluminum is a real-world, high-strength transparent ceramic composed of aluminum, oxygen, and nitrogen. It is optically transparent (80% for 2 mm thickness) in visible, UV, and IR ranges, while being four times harder than fused silica glass and bulletproof against .50 caliber rounds. Other materials inspired by sci-fi include:
Transparent Silver: Researchers at the University of Michigan developed a method for creating a 92.4% transparent, thin metal layer using silver and aluminum, intended to replace indium tin oxide in touchscreens.
Graphene & 2D Materials: Touted as the strongest material in the world, graphene is making leaps from lab research to, for example, composite materials in aerospace and electronics.
Self-Healing Materials: Materials that mimic living tissue by repairing their own scratches or cracks are being developed for mobile phone screens and protective coatings.
The polymer-ceramic composites are best known for their superior fracture toughness, fatigue resistance; wear resistance, higher strength retention2 at higher temperature, higher strength to weight ratio, higher hardness, thermal response, chemical inertness and corrosion resistance as compared to other composites like: metal matrix composites, ceramic matrix composites and concrete matrix composites. Some studies have reported 3D printing of functional and non-functional prototypes of polymer-ceramic composites for various engineering applications.
The push is towards scaling up the production of ALON and other materials to reduce costs. As manufacturing techniques improve, these high-performance materials are expected to move from military applications to consumer products, including mobile phone screens, camera lenses, and more. "Transparent Aluminum" (Aluminum Oxynitride or ALON) is a real, high-tech ceramic material stronger than glass, transforming from powder to optical clarity via extreme pressure and heat. Used in defense, it offers superior armor for military vehicles and spacecraft. While cost restricts current use, its "sci-fi" properties (scratch-resistance, extreme durability) are becoming available for consumer electronics.
Sources
https://Transparent Aluminum is Impossible - by Roy J. Cobalta Google