[norwaypinesavage]

“My colleagues’ approach to this challenge was very innovative,” explained Boldyrev. “They started with a known crystal lattice, in this case, a diamond, and substituted every carbon atom with an aluminum tetrahedron.”

This is certainly very ingenious. The article misses one minor detail, though. How do you actually MAKE this ingenious material, which is 1/4 the density of currently produced aluminum?

[Larry Lucido]

[exDemMom]

For one thing, we don’t know anything about its strength.”

I would think that would be a key parameter to figure out before thinking of ways to use the material.

Another key property would be its toxicity profile.

[I-ambush]

Floating beer cans’

[Pearls Before Swine]

Didn’t Scottie demonstrate transparent aluminum in a Star Trek movie? The one where they had to save a whale?

And better light aluminum than Ice - 9 !

[HangnJudge]

[BuffaloJack]

Lighter than water aluminum. Nice.
Now, how do you make it into a product. If you melt it to fill a mold it won’t be crystalline anymore, thus it will revert to beer can aluminum again.

[smokingfrog]

If it is strong enough and not too brittle, it should be an excellent material for aircraft.

[ConservaTeen]

Floating Aluminum? I’ve see that many times... They are called Aluminum Boats..

[Tallguy]

According to the research team, the potential for the new aluminium structure is vast, as the metal already features such useful traits as being non-magnetic, resistant to corrosion, easily available, and generally inexpensive to produce.

That is a general statement about Aluminum. In actuality the physical properties vary quite a bit depending on the alloy. How useful this new Aluminum Alloy will be is yet to be determined. Can it be hardened? How strong is it? Etc.

[Wuli]

An issue not mentioned in the report is how this form aluminum ranks in various strength tests. The answers from those tests will help determine the range of applications it can be used for.

For instance, is it really strong enough for some engine/automotive parts. (just one example)

I have usually thought of most crystalline forms to be brittle, even when strong. Glass and ceramics are crystalline. We use ceramics in spark plugs but not moving parts (as far as I know, but maybe someone knows better than I).

[Ancesthntr]

I am disappointed in my fellow FReepers...not a one of you has even hinted at a floating aluminum receiver for an AR-15.

Of course, if those are made then it’ll be harder to claim that the thing is at the bottom of some lake. :>)

[fella]

Is it also transparent?

[Moltke]

has yielded just such a crystalline form using computational modeling.

Sooo...it's just in the computer so far? Like AGW? Make some and us know then.

[xander]

Porphyritic Aluminum? Aluminum foam? Alumice? Inject aluminum with a gas during casting and control the cooling so that gaseous hollows or voids are formed within? I should hope something with a bit more uniformity for strength consistency, though.