# Amazing Advance In Materials Technology Engineering--Metallic Glass **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [April 5, 2005, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazing-advance-in-materials-technology-engineering-metallic-glass/297833 "2005-04-05T13:16:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2005, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazing-advance-in-materials-technology-engineering-metallic-glass/297833/1 "2005-04-05T13:16:14Z")
Scientists invent a “metallic glass” without crystaline molecular structures, many times stronger than steel. [http://www.newscientist.com/channel/mech-tech/mg18624931.000](http://www.newscientist.com/channel/mech-tech/mg18624931.000) And, when this process is used on non-ferrous metals, like copper or titanium? :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Terrorcotta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dbc845/32.png) [@Terrorcotta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terrorcotta)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2005, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazing-advance-in-materials-technology-engineering-metallic-glass/297833/2 "2005-04-05T13:21:48Z")
Have we finally arrived at the ‘aluminium glass’ they promised us in Start Trek? ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2005, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazing-advance-in-materials-technology-engineering-metallic-glass/297833/3 "2005-04-05T13:50:23Z")
Nope. By glassy, they mean the chaotic, non-crystalline structure, not transparent. ---
**Author:** ![Terrorcotta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dbc845/32.png) [@Terrorcotta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terrorcotta)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2005, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazing-advance-in-materials-technology-engineering-metallic-glass/297833/4 "2005-04-05T14:16:49Z")
Ah heck… I guess I’m still waiting to build my own whale-tank for the backyard… ---
**Author:** ![FlyingDragonFan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c89c15/32.png) [@FlyingDragonFan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlyingDragonFan)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2005, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazing-advance-in-materials-technology-engineering-metallic-glass/297833/5 "2005-04-05T15:06:27Z")
> [@Ethilrist](#): > > Nope. By glassy, they mean the chaotic, non-crystalline structure, not transparent. Not that I’m questioning that this stuff will be opaque, but isn’t that why glass is transparent, because it’s chaotic? Or am I misremembering? ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2005, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazing-advance-in-materials-technology-engineering-metallic-glass/297833/6 "2005-04-05T15:55:23Z")
> [@FlyingDragonFan](#): > > Not that I’m questioning that this stuff will be opaque, but isn’t that why glass is transparent, because it’s chaotic? Or am I misremembering? IIRC, it has to do with the charge of glass. There’s no free electrons in glass to screw around with photons, so it’s transparent. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2005, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazing-advance-in-materials-technology-engineering-metallic-glass/297833/7 "2005-04-05T16:36:09Z")
It’s not _that_ new… There was a [Discover Magazine article](http://www.discover.com/issues/apr-04/features/glassy-metals/) on this subject a year ago that was somewhat more detailed than the one referenced earlier. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2005, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazing-advance-in-materials-technology-engineering-metallic-glass/297833/8 "2005-04-05T16:42:05Z")
> [@Terrorcotta](#): > > Have we finally arrived at the ‘aluminium glass’ they promised us in Start Trek? Transparent aluminum. And that was my first thought too, sadly. ---
**Author:** ![FinnAgain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/finnagain/32/12500_2.png) [@FinnAgain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FinnAgain)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2005, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazing-advance-in-materials-technology-engineering-metallic-glass/297833/9 "2005-04-05T16:43:04Z")
[nitpick] The article starts by saying "IN THE movie Terminator 2, the villain is a robot made of liquid metal. He morphs from human form to helicopter and back again with ease, " Helicopter? Someone was smokin’ something when they saw that movie. [/nitpick] ---
**Author:** ![gotpasswords](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c57346/32.png) [@gotpasswords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gotpasswords)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2005, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazing-advance-in-materials-technology-engineering-metallic-glass/297833/10 "2005-04-05T18:58:53Z")
Really. The T-1000 (or whatever) didn’t morph into a helicopter, but instead poured itself into the helicopter, took a human form, looked at the pilot and said “Get out” What’s puzzling me is why they’re calling it metallic glass, rather than glassy metal. The stuff is metal, rather than silica.