Transparent aluminum 660824 225380796 2008-07-13T11:16:19Z SmackBot 433328 Date the maintenance tags or general fixes '''Transparent aluminum''' (or '''aluminium''') is a [[fictional]] substance from the ''[[Star Trek]]'' [[science fiction]] franchise. It was first mentioned in the 1986 feature film ''[[Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home]]'', in which it was described as a material that could be used to construct a waterproof enclosure for transporting [[whales]] aboard a [[starship]]. Attempts to make a similar material include the chemical bonding of [[aluminum]] with appropriate elements in [[Corundum|transparent alumina]] and in [[ruby]], [[corundum]], [[sapphire]], and related aluminum compounds.<ref name=al2o3>{{cite web | author= | title=Alumina (Aluminium Oxide): The Different Types of Commercially Available Grades | url=http://www.azom.com/details.asp?ArticleID=1389 | publisher=AZoM.com | date= | accessdate=2008-01-29}}</ref> Traditional photonic bandgaps, based on introducing spatial holes in aluminum, are likewise possible, but these would require the introduction of numerous physical holes with roughly the diameter of the wavelengths of light for which transparency were desired; but such would presumably weaken aluminum structures. ===ALON=== {{main|Aluminum oxynitride}} ''[[Aluminum oxynitride|ALON]]'' is the brand name of a transparent ceramic compound with a high compressive strength and durability, used primarily in military applications. ===Transparent alumina === {{main|Transparent alumina}} ''[[Aluminum oxide]]'', a chemical compound of aluminum and oxygen (Al<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub>) is made transparent through a process of fusing fine particles.<ref name=al2o3/><ref>{{cite news | author=Belle Dumé | title=Glass breakthrough | url=http://physicsworld.com/cws/article/news/20033 | work=PhysicWorld | date=11 August 2004 | accessdate=2008-01-29}}</ref> ===Nanophase aluminum === Real transparent aluminum can and has been made by using [[nanophase aluminum]].<ref>{{cite web | author= | title=Transparent Abrasion Resistant Products: NanoDur X1102HDA | url=http://www.nanophase.com/catalog/item.asp?ITEM_ID=84&DEPARTMENT_ID=48 | publisher=Nanophase Technologies Corporation | date= | accessdate=2008-01-29}}</ref> This is aluminum composed of [[nanometre]] scale particles as a solid transparent material, whose color can be varied by sizing the particles differently. The particles themselves are smaller than the [[wavelengths]] of [[visible light]]. [[Nanophase material]]s are usually transparent and very hard, with color depending on the size of the particles.<ref>{{cite journal | last=Perepezko | first=John H. | coauthors=Hebert, Rainer J. | title=Amorphous Aluminum Alloys—Synthesis and Stability | journal=JOM | volume=54 | issue=3 | pages=p. 34 | id= | month=March | year=2002 | url=http://www.tms.org/pubs/journals/JOM/0203/Perepezko-0203.html | accessdate=2008-01-29 | doi=10.1007/BF02822618}}</ref> ==In fiction== ===''Star Trek''=== In the popular film ''[[Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home]]'', panels of [[acrylic glass]] were acquired for construction of water tanks with a thickness suitable for containing two [[humpback whale]]s and tonnes of water. However, the ''Enterprise'' crew, without money appropriate to the period, found it necessary to barter with Plexicorp (a fictional manufacturer) for the materials required for the task. In exchange for the acrylic glass, [[Montgomery Scott|Chief Engineer Scott]] shares the [[chemical formula]] for transparent aluminum. ''Star Trek'' technical Manuals indicates transparent aluminum is used in various fittings in starships, including exterior ship portals and windows.{{Fact|date=July 2008}} In the ''[[Star Trek: The Next Generation]]'' episode “[[In Theory]],” a subspace anomaly alters the transparent aluminum windows creating a hull breach in the observation lounge. ==References== {{Reflist}} ==See also== [[Sapphire crystal]] ==External links== *{{Memoryalpha}} *Jeffrey de Fourestier, [http://www.minrec.org/pdfs/Star%20Trek%20Article.pdf "The Mineralogy of ''Star Trek''"] *Surmet Corporation's [http://www.surmet.com/alon.html ALON website ]