Modern Materials

• Corn starch polymers


  • Corn starch polymers are plastics that are made from vegetable starches and are sustainable.
  • These smart polymers are biodegradable if composted and are often used for animal feed when disposed of.
  • Corn starch polymers readily decompose and are good for the environment and are commonly used in packaging and polymer moulding.
• Polylactic acid (PLA)

  • These biodegradable polymers are smooth or textured and available in a range of colours.
  • These polymers are non-toxic, easily moulded and widely used.
  • Commonly used for bottles, food and drink packaging, phone cases and 3D printer filaments.
• Polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB, Biopol)

  • These biodegradable polymers are smooth or textured and available in a range of colours.
  • These polymers are quite brittle, stable, strong and moulded easily.
  • They have limited chemical resistance.
  • Commonly used for bottles, disposable food items and household items.
• Flexible MDF (Medium Density Fibreboard)

  • This man made board is light brown in colour, smooth on one side with a set of grooves cut on the other.
  • This smart board has a series of grooves cut on one side and can be shaped in one direction to form curves and waves.
  • Flexible MDF can be finished in the usual manner by using laminated veneers, varnish and other suitable coatings.
  • Commonly used for interesting modern furniture, internal walls and dividers.
• Titanium


  • This versatile metal has a high strength to weight ratio and is corrosion resistant.
  • This alloy is light grey polished in appearance and can be easily shaped or welded.

  Uses of titanium

  • Commonly used for joint and dental implants as the material does not react with the human body making it hypoallergenic.
  • Also used in jewellery, watches, aircraft and sports cars due to its high strength to weight ratio.
• Fibre optics


  • Used to replace traditional copper wires, these fibres allow the exchange of digital data along thin glass strands.
  • This glass fibre strand is surrounding by a glass cladding covered with stronger fibres and a polymer outer.
  • These fibre optic cables are flexible, light and transfer digital data thousands of times faster than traditional copper cables.
  • These materials are commonly used in broadband cables, endoscopic cameras, and lighting display such as fibre optic Christmas trees.
• Graphene

  • Graphene is the thinnest material yet discovered and is one atom thick.
  • Graphene is a million times thinner than a human hair but 200 times stronger than steel.
  • This material is clear, flexible, stretchable, strong, lightweight and impermeable to all known substances.
  • These materials are being developed for use in mobile technology, biomedicine, composites, material coatings and energy storage.
• Liquid crystal display (LCD)

  • Liquid crystal displays are found in a monochrome or colour display format.
  • Numbers or letters are displayed when a voltage is applied to create a symbol or image.
  • These displays have low power consumption, create sharp images, and are compact and flat

  Liquid crystal display (LCD) uses

  • These displays are commonly used in many electronic products such as watches, clocks, microwaves, flat screen televisions, computer monitors, satellite navigation systems and many more.
• Nano materials


  • Nano materials are derived from the field of nanotechnology meaning the branch of technology that deals with dimensions and tolerances of less than 100 nanometres, especially the manipulation of individual atoms and molecules.
  • These materials exist on a molecular or atomic scale and have benefits for electronics, engineering and scientific design.
  • These materials are commonly used in the miniaturisation of electronics, protective coating in the textile industry and particles to improve water resistance.
• Metal foams

  • Metal foams have a closed to open cell structure and are the same colour as most metals.
  • This material is strong, lightweight, electrically and thermally conductive, good sound absorption and very porous.
  • These materials are commonly used in aircraft, car parts, impact absorption and medical implants.