Episode 121: Aluminum

Aluminum may seem like a common metal today, but did you know it was once considered on par with silver? Taylor and Andrew sit down with Marat Latypov, a professor at the University of Arizona, to explore how aluminum went from a precious metal to one of the go-to metals of modern society. We talk about the discovery that collapsed the price from dollars to cents per pound and the patent dispute it caused. We explore how a metal so hungry for oxygen resists corrosion so well and how precipitation hardening was discovered after a weekend getaway. Finally, we look at more recent issues like the challenges of Ford's aluminum F-150, the fire hazards of 1970s aluminum house wiring, and why recycling scrap is harder than it sounds.

How Aluminum Foil is made [LINK]

The Materialism Podcast is sponsored by Materials Today, an Elsevier community dedicated to the creation and sharing of materials science knowledge and experience through their peer-reviewed journals, academic conferences, educational webinars, and more. [LINK]

Thanks to Kolobyte and Alphabot for letting us use their music in the show!

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Materialism Team: Taylor Sparks, Andrew Falkowski, & Jared Duffy.