Engineers at the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) have used nanotechnology to increase the toughness of the transparent spinel armor it currently uses on optics, sensors, and windows on ships and other vehicles. The new nanocrystalline spinel is made of the same materials, magnesium aluminate (MgAl2O4), but the grain size has been reduced to 28 nm.
So... yeah. Transparent aluminum!
Well, aluminate. Close enough!
Now get crackin' on that warp drive, sonny boys. The clock's a tickin'... we've got less than 50 years to meet the Vulcans.
(H/T to The Silicon Graybeard for the link to the story.)
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