New Metallic Glass Is Hard and Tough

LiveScience, January 18 2011.

A new member of the metallic glass family may rival Scotty’s transparent aluminum in “Star Trek” for its mix of amazing properties. This palladium and silver alloy developed by Caltech researchers is both stronger and tougher than any titanium alloys.

“Strength and toughness are actually very different, almost mutually exclusive,” lead researcher Marios Demetriou said in a statement. “Generally, materials that are tough are also weak; those that are strong are brittle.” Read More >