Warwick team turn polythene into "transparent aluminium"

Science fiction fans, of which we know there are many among Engineer readers, will doubtless remember the scene in Star Trek 4 (the one with the whales, and undoubtedly the best Star Trek film featuring the original cast) in which indomitable engineer Montgomery Scott had to teach a metals supplier the secret of making 23rd century "transparent aluminium", so that he could construct tanks to hold and transport two humpback whales in the hold of a starship.

While transparent aluminium itself remains wholly fictional (although transparent aluminium-based ceramics do exist) a collaboration between polymer engineers Prof Ton Peijis at the Warwick Manufacturing Group and Prof Cees Bastiaansen of Queen Mary, University of London has devised a method of making transparent polythene sheets that have tensile strength greater than aluminium. The material could be used for glazing in automotive and aerospace applications, high-strength display screens and other applications where impact resistant transparent windows might be needed.