There are a range of aluminium ceramic compounds like aluminium oxynitride, and also Ruby, Sapphire, that are semi transparent in the visible range, and also useful for IR windows. These all seem to be called transparent aluminium by some, though they are compounds of aluminium. This is no doubt in allusion to the star trek material transparent aluminium.
Apparently "real" transparent aluminium is now possible. See the link below. It is transparent to extreme UV. One problem, it only lasts for about 40 femtoseconds. It is produced using powerful flashes from an Xray laser. It seems to be a new form of matter. Hmmm. I wouldn't say it was a reality at 40 femtoseconds lifetime.
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There are a range of aluminium ceramic compounds like aluminium oxynitride, and also Ruby, Sapphire, that are semi transparent in the visible range, and also useful for IR windows. These all seem to be called transparent aluminium by some, though they are compounds of aluminium. This is no doubt in allusion to the star trek material transparent aluminium.
Apparently "real" transparent aluminium is now possible. See the link below. It is transparent to extreme UV. One problem, it only lasts for about 40 femtoseconds. It is produced using powerful flashes from an Xray laser. It seems to be a new form of matter. Hmmm. I wouldn't say it was a reality at 40 femtoseconds lifetime.
Transparent aluminium was a plot twist in a Star Trek movie, it has no basis in reality.
Aluminum is an element, and so it was always possible to make it transparent, just make it have sort of honey-combed atoms.