http://aluminiuminsider.com/researchers-confirm-discovery-floating-aluminium/
Like most common metals, aluminium lacks natural buoyancy. However, with a little rearranging of the metal’s natural molecular structure, one can produce an ultra-light crystalline form of the metal that is actually less dense than water and, as a result, floats upon it.
Research conducted by Utah State University Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry professor Alexander Boldyrev and published in the latest issue of The Journal of Physical Chemistry C has yielded just such a crystalline form using computational modeling.
“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.”
Boldyrev’s colleagues, namely Iliya Getmanskii, Vitaliy Koval, Rusian Minyaev, and Vladimir Minkin of Southern Federal University in Rostov-on Don, Russia, confirmed the structure which is metastable and has a density of 0.61 grams per cubic centimeter. By comparison, conventional aluminium possesses a density of 2.7 grams per cubic centimeter.
(Score: -1, Offtopic) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday September 26 2017, @08:06AM (1 child)
The only thing better than "Transparent Aluminium", with whales. But speaking of whales, has anyone seen the White Whale? You all know of the one of which I speak!
The Captain of the SoylentNews, avast there me maties, we know nothing about the loss of his leg!
(Score: 2) by FatPhil on Tuesday September 26 2017, @08:27AM
https://phys.org/news/2017-07-russian-scientists-technology-production-transparent.html#nRlv
(However, that wasn't the first transparent metal, that dates back to at least 2009: https://phys.org/news/2009-03-metal-transparent-high-pressure.html#nRlv )
Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people; the smallest discuss themselves
(Score: 5, Informative) by c0lo on Tuesday September 26 2017, @08:08AM (19 children)
To be accurate, TFT should read: "Scientists Compute Buoyant Aluminum".
The abstract of TO(riginal)FA in the J. Phys. Chem. [acs.org] states:
No word of "have been realized/fabricated/brought into reality". It does NOT float on water, it would float on water.
At such large spaces inside the lattice I imagine the crystal bond energy will make it reactive enough, because other lower energy states are stable (and this was computed as a metastable state)/
As such, I expect that the material will never exist in the presence of oxygen - even when in the more dense crystalline form, aluminium forms an oxide layer over its surface. With increases spaces, I suspect oxygen will be able to penetrate deeper into the lattice and react, freeing an energy that will quickly "push down the energy well" the (supposed) material from its metastable state towards the more dense stable state.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
(Score: 3, Informative) by qzm on Tuesday September 26 2017, @08:28AM (1 child)
That foamed Aluminium floats on water.
As does Aluminium honeycomb.
As of course does an Aluminium hull boat.
Hell, we have inter-island barges with concrete hulls..
And yes, I know thats not QUITE what they mean, but it goes point out how stupid the headline is.
(Score: 3, Funny) by FatPhil on Tuesday September 26 2017, @08:40AM
Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people; the smallest discuss themselves
(Score: 2) by FatPhil on Tuesday September 26 2017, @08:37AM (16 children)
Some lucky bastard is going to get the funding to play around with this and other experiments.
Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people; the smallest discuss themselves
(Score: 2) by c0lo on Tuesday September 26 2017, @10:05AM (6 children)
Which may not be that bad.
After all, mass collapse from a metastable state is at the very base of lasers.
E.g. I wonder what catalytic activity such a complex may show during the collapse.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
(Score: 2, Interesting) by khallow on Tuesday September 26 2017, @12:32PM (5 children)
It's not a catalyst, if an irreversible process happens to it. Should be able to power certain kinds of reducing endothermic reactions. Might be reactive enough to strip the oxygen off of carbon dioxide though I imagine there are a bunch of reactive metals that have that property.
(Score: 2) by c0lo on Tuesday September 26 2017, @01:33PM (3 children)
Not a catalyst if it is consumed in the reaction.
Otherwise, catalysts can become inactive [sciencedirect.com] over the reaction time and need to be reactivated
In this case, the aluminium may not be consumed as a substance in the reaction, but may need to be reactivated by "blowing it up" again.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
(Score: 1) by khallow on Tuesday September 26 2017, @07:30PM (2 children)
The reactivation is the reversal of the process. And it is usually something simple like heating, washing, or mechanically shaking the catalyst.
"Blowing it up" isn't going to be a simple process and may involve as much energy as a normal chemical reaction.
(Score: 2) by c0lo on Tuesday September 26 2017, @09:58PM (1 child)
Which may worth doing if the reaction is entirely exotic - i.e. does not happen except in the presence of blown up aluminium.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
(Score: 1) by khallow on Tuesday September 26 2017, @11:16PM
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday September 26 2017, @09:20PM
Magnesium will burn in a carbon dioxide atmosphere.
(Score: 4, Insightful) by MostCynical on Tuesday September 26 2017, @10:07AM (7 children)
"Blew up small containment vessel and laboratory.
Conclusion: need more funding for larger laboratory and containment vessel."
"I guess once you start doubting, there's no end to it." -Batou, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex
(Score: 2) by c0lo on Tuesday September 26 2017, @10:17AM (6 children)
And it will happen if it shows potential for military applications.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
(Score: 2) by MostCynical on Tuesday September 26 2017, @10:36AM (5 children)
All new, non-recyclable coke cans! Get em before they're too hot to handle!
For the military, I can see it all depending on how controlled the (inevitable) state change will e this stuff could make a great alternative to compression ignition for bullets. - no hammer needed just something to penetrate the protective layer.
Does anyone know if "meta" in metastable really just means "theoretically"?
"I guess once you start doubting, there's no end to it." -Batou, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex
(Score: 2) by FatPhil on Tuesday September 26 2017, @11:05AM (4 children)
Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people; the smallest discuss themselves
(Score: 2, Touché) by c0lo on Tuesday September 26 2017, @11:40AM (3 children)
I'm yet to see a metastable feminist.
Maybe I need to see one during her deepest slumber, while heavily sedated.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
(Score: 1, Touché) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday September 26 2017, @03:56PM
It's a very transient state. Just after the finish of a rant, there is a very brief pause before the intake of breath that powers the next rant.
(Score: 2) by MostCynical on Wednesday September 27 2017, @01:55AM (1 child)
Hold on - which one of you is sedated?
"I guess once you start doubting, there's no end to it." -Batou, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex
(Score: 2) by c0lo on Wednesday September 27 2017, @03:34AM
Interesting perspective.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
(Score: 2) by VLM on Tuesday September 26 2017, @11:52AM
I wonder if the hole size is big enough to make an interesting filter.
I wonder if a surface like that would have exciting catalytic properties.
(Score: 0, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday September 26 2017, @10:14AM
This is obviously fake Russian propaganda meant to interfere in the US's democratic metallurgy process, and Julian Assange is clearly working behind the scenes on behalf of the FSB and GRU.
I demand congressional hearings into this outrageous foreign corruption of our free smelting system by attempting to influence American molecules in the way they crystallize. Has Jared Kushner ever been in Rostov? Does Donald Trump use aluminum in his airplanes?
How can we allow sinister Russian agents like biochemistry professor Alexander Boldyrev to taint our precious bodily metals?
/parody
(Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday September 26 2017, @10:52AM (4 children)
More space between metal atoms in crystal lattice means more hydrogen can be absorbed.
Hopefully it won't make it even more explosive if exposed to oxygen ...
Hmm, what happens if D-soaked light aluminum suddenly collapses?
Will we have nuclear fusion?
If yes, will we have deep sub-critical nuclear munition?
If yes, how brave a grunt has to be to carry around a weapon with a full magazine of rounds which each can go off "just because I'm metastable"?
OK, my thoughts are starting to disperse now. Someone please jump in and continue.
(Score: 4, Informative) by c0lo on Tuesday September 26 2017, @12:23PM (3 children)
If you don't find a way to keep it there, I reckon all that space is useless.
I really doubt it - after all, we are dealing with energy barriers (for fusion) at the order 10 keV.
Now, suppose that a cubic cage of 8 Al atoms would collapse with such a force to cause two D to fuse - which means 500keV stored by 8 atoms
27g of Al is a mole - Avogadro's number says 6.023e23 atoms.
Which mean 7.25e22 individual cages of 8 atoms, with no corners/sides shared between them
If each cage can perform a work of 10keV and 1keV is 1.6e-16, the entire energy in those 7.25e22 cages will be 120.46MJ. That's the equivalent of 28kg of TNT in 27g of metastable floating aluminium.
Without a weird screening effect on the coulomb field of the trapped hydrogen (and lowering the coulomb barrier 100-1000 times less), fusion's not gonna happen.
Feeling of guts: about 200g-300g of pure-ethanol-induced bravery for an 85kg grunt body? I don;t know, perhaps eth-fueled can step in with his expertise.
Or perhaps 3 to 5 worth of American-football concussions?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
(Score: 2) by c0lo on Tuesday September 26 2017, @12:25PM
Correction "which means
500keV10keV stored by 8 atoms".The following computations uses the 10keV value though.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
(Score: 2) by deimtee on Tuesday September 26 2017, @04:02PM
28kg vs 27 g is a factor of about a thousand. Given that TNT is actually pretty shitty energy storage, that's a lot closer to being possible than I would have guessed.
If you cough while drinking cheap red wine it really cleans out your sinuses.
(Score: 3, Funny) by bob_super on Tuesday September 26 2017, @07:21PM
> 3 to 5 worth of American-football concussions
New unit for behavior : My congressman is running at about 76 AFC.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday September 26 2017, @02:21PM (1 child)
So basically, this is russion research for which the US professor is taking credit?
(Score: 2) by Spamalope on Tuesday September 26 2017, @03:26PM
It's a funding ruse. The Russians will get this material first if you don't fund my lab!