Hardly. Just because you can make a chunk of it doesn’t mean it’s automatically useful. Is it ductile enough to make wires or sheets? Does it corrode quickly? Is it stable in the long term? Does it amalgamate with other metals too easily?
Materials have a whole list of properties that are important in both manufacturing and usage contexts. Alternative processing methods can fix some issues but not all.
That being said, finding one should be like kicking down the door to a whole room of related possibilities.
> finding one should be like kicking down the door to a whole room of related possibilities
You actually agree with the GP, you are just being more specific about what “one working” means, and providing more criteria for what getting “closer every year” would entail.
Materials have a whole list of properties that are important in both manufacturing and usage contexts. Alternative processing methods can fix some issues but not all.
That being said, finding one should be like kicking down the door to a whole room of related possibilities.