Does transparent aluminum exist?
ZellaHyday > 07-12-2018, 06:42 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).