Capable of stopping 50-caliber, armor-piercing rounds, ALON and Spinel are hard and durable transparent polycrystalline materials manufactured using powder based processes. This article describes their unique combination of mechanical, optical, and chemical properties, and reports on recent advances in manufacturing to enable their use for critical defense, industrial, and consumer applications.

Researchers at the University of Akron have developed a high-resolution characterization system that incorporates six gel permeation chromatography columns, two light scattering detectors, a refractive index sensor, and a viscometer. The new system facilitates the study of separated macromolecules and is expected to play a role in the development of safer biopolymers for breast implants.