[ATM] ALON optical ceramic

[William Lee]

I just saw ALON (Aluminum Oxy Nitride) on the Make site (http://blog.makezine.com/2012/01/17/transparent-aluminum/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+makezineonline+%28MAKE%29&utm_content=FaceBook)

It's fascinating stuff, a powder that can be molded, then heated. It comes out hazy and has to be physically polished. But according to the spec sheet (http://www.surmet.com/pdfs/Surmet%20Optical%20Ceramics%20Brochure.pdf) shows it's stiffer than beryllium and almost as hard as silicon carbide. Good transparency from near-UV to IR. But expensive.

Has anyone ever heard of this? Or used this professionally?  (Hint, hint, starman Paul.)