LMS Technologies: Aluminium oxynitride

Today, new building materials with unusual physical properties are increasingly appearing on the market. Transparent aluminum is one of such materials that has appeared recently and is rapidly gaining popularity. During construction, there is always a need for durable light-transmitting materials, and transparent aluminum can eventually completely replace quartz glass structures that are several times heavier than aluminum ceramics.

What is transparent aluminum?

Aluminum oxynitride (ALON) is a strong, solid and transparent mass that is obtained by sintering aluminum powder with nitrogen and oxygen. The transparency level of the material is about 80% in the ultraviolet, visible and half-wave range of the electromagnetic spectrum, which is slightly less than that of ordinary glass.

According to the technical characteristics, transparent aluminum is the hardest transparent material known today and significantly surpasses not only ordinary glass, but also quartz analogues.

The innovative development of scientists has opened up broad prospects for the use of ALON not only in the construction industry, but also in the defense, aviation and electronics industries.

Material Characteristics

The physical properties of transparent aluminum are unique. The strength is 4 times greater than that of quartz glass and 85% greater than that of sapphire. The material is twice as light and thinner than ordinary armored glass. Aluminum ceramics are able to withstand ultra–high temperatures - more than 2000C, resistant to radiation, the action of chemically aggressive substances, precipitation, abrasive materials. The properties of the material do not change over time. The plasticity of the ceramic mass makes it possible to produce products of all shapes and sizes.

How is the material produced?

Production technologies are not too complicated, but technological processes with ultra-high temperatures are quite expensive, so the price of aluminum oxynitride products is high.

Transparent aluminum is produced in several ways:

• by heating and pressing under pressure up to 10 Mpa (powder mass is placed in refractory molds and heated to ignition);
• using spark plasma sintering technology, in which an electric current is passed through the mold, quickly heating the workpiece;
• as a result of the reaction of self-propagating high-temperature synthesis: when in contact with a heated spiral, the powder ignites and gorenje spreads throughout the volume of the workpiece.

The unique properties of transparent aluminum in the near future will be widely demanded in the construction industry, because this material has many advantages, and the disadvantage is only one – high price.

Confirming its reputation as a reliable general contractor, LMS Group fulfills its obligations to the customers, who entrust us with the implementation of their projects.