How aluminum changed the world: A metallurgical revolution through technological and cultural perspectives

The history of aluminum is rather short since it was discovered only in the nineteenth century, yet it has become an important part of everyday life. This article reviews the history of aluminum through technological break-throughs as well as from cultural and social perspectives, beginning with its discovery, through the nineteenth and twentieth centuries until today; and aims to suggest possible future trends and applications for aluminum alloys. Aluminum has a high strength-to-weight ratio combined with excellent thermal conductivity and good corrosion resistance. Therefore, aluminum is an attractive material for many applications, including transportation, electrical and packaging industries, architecture, and food industries. It is also a recyclable metal, which provides both environmental and economic advantages. The commercial use of aluminum started at the end of the nineteenth century and continues to grow today with the development of new advanced aluminum alloys. Consequently, from a cultural perspective, aluminum is considered a symbol of modernity. Technological breakthroughs generate economic growth and social benefits. Present applications of aluminum include new choices, such as 3D printing, composite materials, nano-rods, biomedicine devices and aerospace uses. Based on the excellent properties of aluminum, its low price, combined with its significant scrap value and a growing recycling market, as well as its accelerating global production, it is expected that the aluminum industries will considerably grow through the twenty-first century and aluminum will continue to be a major part of our everyday culture. Therefore, based on the increasing growth of aluminum production and consumption, additional research and development effort is needed in the following years to minimize the negative environmental side effects associated with the technological developments related to aluminum production and at the same time creating further technological innovation.