Scientists make aluminum transparent using acid droplets
The researchers used microdrops of acid solution on small aluminum surfaces and applied an electric current of just two volts, enough to transform the metal into TAlOx, a glass-like material.
Transparent aluminum oxide (TAlOx), a real material despite its sci-fi name, is incredibly hard and resistant to scratches, making it perfect for protective coatings on electronics, optical sensors, and solar panels. On the sci-fi show
Star Trek, it is even used for starship windows and spacefaring aquariums.
Current methods of making TAlOx are expensive and complicated, requiring high-powered lasers, vacuum chambers, or large vats of dangerous acids. That may change thanks to research co-authored by Filipino scientists from the Ateneo de Manila University.
Researchers applied microdrops of acid solution and two volts to aluminum, turning it into transparent aluminum, similar to glass.
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