Something to think about..

techwg

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We have mapped the human genome, and we now know what makes the eyes a certain color etc. Ok, thats really tiny stuff they are dealing with.

Ever noticed how many things are transparent? Glass can be transparent, plastic can be transparent, so why cant they "map" what causes transparency and apply that to other things? I mean come on, there must be a way to make transparent metal or something?!

I get crazy ideas like this once in a while and it boggles me that nobody looks into these things.
 

matrixshaman

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I think I can safely say chemists and physicists have thought about these things. R&D departments have also I'm sure. I'd guess some inherent properties of metals make them opaque. The fact is that a metal which is an element (not a compound) has certain properties that can't be changed. Or at least that's what the physicists and chemists say. A compound that is part metal with other elements and is transparent may have yet to be discovered but I'm sure there are people working on :http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m3MKT/is_57_107/ai_54251880
 

techwg

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Thats amazing... $10 per inch of transparent aluminium.. yers i remember startrek movie, but it led me to think can they do it? and it looks like they can. i would like some of that just to have it !"
 

TedTheLed

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Forget transparent aluminum! I just found out about something even more astounding!! ---

TRANSPARENT ROLLING PAPER! for tabacco which is legal but will sicken and kill you.

it's cellulose and from what I gather as pure, if not purer, than paper.

looks beautiful, when I first saw it I couldn't help singing that "In The Year 2000" tune from Conan to myself..

I don't think either product will substitute for the other, though..
 

elgarak

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We have mapped the human genome, and we now know what makes the eyes a certain color etc. Ok, thats really tiny stuff they are dealing with.

Ever noticed how many things are transparent? Glass can be transparent, plastic can be transparent, so why cant they "map" what causes transparency and apply that to other things? I mean come on, there must be a way to make transparent metal or something?!

I get crazy ideas like this once in a while and it boggles me that nobody looks into these things.
Us scientists know what make things transparent. The problem for your mentioned application is that what makes things transparent also makes them insulating -- or the other way round, what makes a metal a metal makes it opaque.

(I'm just talking conductivity here, since structural applications don't fit in -- there are tons of material as strong as metal, or stronger, including transparent ones.)

At least that's the BIG rule of thumb.

There's one class of material that does not fit in. Tin oxides, especially doped with Indium, then called "Indium doped Tin Oxide", ITO, is transparent and conductive. And it's used a lot already, in displays, solar cells etc.
 
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