This is very exciting for engine design and for optical applications. Maybe a precision engine could be built without piston rings. Or maybe a rotary engine could be redesigned with higher compression since the apex seals wouldn't be a weak point any longer. The applications are endless. I can't wait to see what racing teams come up with using this stuff. As well as the weapons and space guys.

I wonder what other characteristics this material has? What is its strength, ductility, ablation resistance, etc.?

Sounds much like the early lasers- a solution in search of a problem.

Build a bridge out of this stuff- won't need expansion joints.

I am interested in other material properties, such as lubricity. I feel it would make a good material to make an ETSE (EndoThermic Steam Engine), which expands an ambient temperature liquid refrigerant in a piston cylinder to it's "dew point" vacuum collapse (timed to suck the piston back to TDC as a one cycle engine), then squirts out supercooled refrigerant back to the heat exchanger, for mechanical energy extraction. COLD is it's only waste product!

Too bad this wasn't around when the original SR-71 Blackbird was produced - using Russian sourced titanium. No mention in your excellent write-up of the weight, but having a supersonic spy plane with tanks that don't leak when at sea level normal temperature would be a marvelous upgrade. The JP-7 is extremely slick when raining as recounted in this article: https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20130701-tales-from-the-blackbird-cockpit
I never saw an SR-71 in the air - nor a U2 - but if this material - especially if an equal substitute for scandium can be found - may lead to better reliability of fuselages. You will still have the take-off, pressurized cabin stresses, and landing routines but with a reduction in expansion/contraction the skin integrity has to improve!

I sure would love to see how the old SR-71 would do skinned with this material, break her own speed and altitude records I think. It also makes SSTO (single stage to orbit) space planes closer to reality when combined with pulse detonation engines

I'd like to think that we have or are moving beyond such primitive technology as internal combustion engines...

I wonder if platinum could be substituted for scandium. That might solve the problem with platinum fracturing with temperature change in a hydrogen fuel cell.

How does the picture relate to the article?

"catchy name, eh?"

ScAlWO has a bit of a ring to it.