Development in New Materials

• Modern material


  A material that has been engineered to have improved properties
• Modern materials


  • Concrete
  • Aluminium
  • Steel
• Graphene


  A single carbon layer material, hypothetically 100 times stronger than steel
• Graphene


  • Could provide body armour that is bulletproof, invisible and almost weightless
  • If the whole of Wembley Stadium was covered in a layer of graphene, it would be almost invisible and be unbreakable, yet it could all be lifted it with one finger
• Titanium


  A modern metal used in sporting and medical applications, has a high strength-to-weight ratio and is resistant to corrosion
• Metal foams


  A strong but lightweight modern material produced by injecting a gas or foaming agent into molten metal
• Metal foams


  • Only 5-25% of the foam is metal, allowing the material to retain much of its strength but without the density or weight of a solid metal
  • Often used in vehicles such as planes and cars as they absorb shock effectively if the vehicle crashes
• Liquid crystal displays (LCDs)


  Use the light-modulating properties of liquid crystals to display an image
• LCDs


  • Require a backlight to work
  • Many modern devices now use organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) instead, which allows devices to be thinner and lighter
  • OLEDs are more expensive as each pixel is its own light, but they allow for thinner panels and better colour and contrast
• Nanomaterials


  Tiny particles of 1 to 100 nanometres (nm) that can be used in thin films or coatings
• Nanomaterial applications


  • Oleophobic coatings on smartphone screens that repel greasy fingerprints
  • Hydrophobic materials that repel water
• Smart materials


  Modern materials that exhibit a physical change in response to some external stimuli
• Smart materials


  • They change when you do something to them, and when you remove what is causing that change they return to their original form
• Shape-memory alloys (SMA)


  Metal alloys that can remember their shape when heated
• Shape-memory alloys (SMA)


  • Spectacle frames that spring back to shape if they are squashed
• Nitinol


  A type of SMA that contracts when heated, whereas most metals expand
• Nitinol


  • Used in braces to 'pull' on teeth as they heat up in the mouth
• Thermochromic pigments


  Pigments that change colour when their temperature changes
• Thermochromic pigments


  • Used in colour-changing mugs or bath items for children
• Photochromic pigments


  Pigments that change their properties when exposed to ultraviolet (UV) light
• Photochromic pigments


  • Used in glasses where the lenses become more like sunglasses when exposed to bright sunlight
• Quantum-tunnelling composite (QTC)


  An insulating rubber containing tiny particles of metal that allow electrical current to flow when the rubber is squashed
• Quantum-tunnelling composite (QTC)


  • Used in outdoor applications, clothing to control smartphones, power tools for variable speed controls, and touch-sensitive pads
• Self-healing materials


  Materials that have the ability to repair themselves, extending the lifespan of products
• Self-healing materials


  • Polymers that can heal knife cuts, metals that resist corrosion, and concrete that can heal when cracked
• Ferrofluids


  Fluids that can be formed by a magnetic field, used in hydraulic suspension pistons and have friction reducing properties
• Polymorph


  A polymer that becomes malleable when heated to about 62°C, and then hardens when cooled, making it useful for modelling and creating ergonomic handles
• Modern and smart materials are constantly being engineered, so it's good to try to keep up to date with the latest developments
• Composite materials


  Built from more than one thing
• Composite materials


  • Improve properties
  • Combination of natural and synthetic materials
  • Fall into three main categories: fibre-based, particle-based, sheet-based
• Modern and smart materials can often be incorporated into new consumer products without people noticing
• Fibre-based composites


  Reinforced with fibres, mixed with resin or concrete to create strong, mouldable shapes
• Particle-based composites


  Made with small particles of material, mixed to create strong, dense materials
• Particle-based composites


  • Concrete
  • Cermet
• Sheet-based composites


  Available in large sheets, made by mixing wood fibres or veneers with resin
• Sheet-based composites


  • Medium-density fibreboard (MDF)
  • Plywood
  • Chipboard
• Composites are engineered to improve their properties
• There are many more combinations of materials designed to meet particular needs or purposes
• The original material may have useful features like formability or appearance, but lack strength or durability
• Combining different materials can solve problems and new composites are being developed all the time