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Does transparent aluminum exist?

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• Does transparent aluminum exist?

• Does transparent aluminum exist?

  aluhm > 04-18-2018, 01:42 AM

  Transparent aluminum does not exist.
  
  Transparent aluminum oxide exists.
  
  They are completely two different materials. Aluminum is a metal, aluminum oxide is a ceramic. Aluminum can react with oxygen in the atmosphere to form aluminum oxide. So you can convert a piece of thin aluminum to aluminum oxide to make it transparent, but you are also changing the material.
  
  Rule of thumb: if something is transparent (e.g. glass), then it is non-conductive. If something is conductive (e.g. metals), then it is not transparent.  This is a fundamental struggle and limitation we have in the solar industry, if we can really make a material that is highly transparent and highly conductive, then you win the next Nobel price (someone did win the Nobel on something similar, the conductive polymer, but it's not a very viable material). Suggest reading on this topic:  Band gap

• RE: Does transparent aluminum exist?

  1-LVDCPN > 04-18-2018, 01:43 AM

  Actually, if we area going to allow the aluminum oxide passivation layer to count as transparent aluminum then we may as well go all in and include un-doped sapphire and aluminum oxy-nitride which also is transparent in bulk and used as armored glass in some military vehicles. It is pretty remarkable stuff but close to sapphire in properties and very hard to fabricate. Aluminium oxynitride.
  .
  There is also a translucent aluminum oxide tubing product made by GE for its LucAlOx sodium vapor lamp products and sold separately as an engineering product

• RE: Does transparent aluminum exist?

  mepehuxit > 04-18-2018, 01:44 AM

  Yes and no. Aluminium full sheets are not transparent. But if you take a piece of aluminized wrapping foil as used for biscuits, you can look through it. This material is also used for the sun repellent foil that is placed on windows. It is a plastic foil with aluminium vacuum deposited on it. As the particles are so small you can look through, in between.
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