New & smart materials - Ark William Parker Academy and...•Made by SpudWare Compostable tableware...
Transcript of New & smart materials - Ark William Parker Academy and...•Made by SpudWare Compostable tableware...
New & smart materials
Exam expectations
This is a new topic for the examination and it is
likely to be tested regularly. You will be
expected to be able to explain the difference
between a new and a smart material. You will
also be expected to describe an application for
a new or smart material
New modern materials
• There have been massive advances in new
materials that it is difficult to keep up to date with
what is available. These developments are one
of the best examples of technological push as
sometimes the properties of the materials are
discovered through extensive research and
experiments then a useful application found for
them later.
Smart materials
• Smart materials are ones which react and
change their properties in response to an input
such as electrical current, heat, light etc. They
have particularly useful applications in areas of
safety, for example, where they can give off
warnings of heat.
Starch based polymers
Recent experiments in creating biodegradable
polymers from corn, maize or potato starch
have started to have a large impact upon the
packaging industry, for example. Some major
high street stores have already changed to
these materials for food packaging.
Spud forks
• Made from 80% potato starch, 20% Soya oil.
• Can be washed in dishwasher
• Totally biodegradable in just 180 days!
• Made by SpudWare
Compostable tableware
PAPCoRN are two industrial designer who work with materials which are compostable. They work in the latest plastics, which are based on renewable resources such as wheat, maize and lactic acid. All these products have a limited environmental impact, from beginning to end and form part of nature’s own cycle. They aim to combine good design with a vision of reducing environmental damage
Benefits of starch based polymers
As oil based polymers generally do not break
down and give off toxic fumes if burned these
alternative polymers offer a real long term
solution to environmentally friendly packaging
and product needs.
Precious Metal Clays
• The revolution in precious metal clays has
transformed some of the jewellery markets,
opening avenues for creativity which previously
had been hindered by complex manufacturing
processes.
Precious Metal Clays
This relatively new material is made from 99.9%
fine particles of metal (usually silver) mixed with
a binder and water. It looks like and is worked
like clay but when dried then heated to around
800 degrees the metal particles fuse together
and it becomes solid metal.
Quantum Tunnelling Composite
These exciting new materials are metal filled
polymers which have the property of changing
from an insulator to a conductor when pressed.
The more it is squeezed the closer the metal
particles squash together and the easier it
becomes for the electrons to pass between
them.
Quantum Tunnelling Composite
Initially used in space suits to allow control
panels to be integrated into the fabric these
QTCs are being used in clothing so that
devices such as Ipods can be integrated into
the garment.
Quantum Tunnelling Composite
Heating applications such as temperature
controlled clothing and high visibility clothing are
just two of the many applications of incorporating
electronics into textiles.
Carbon fibre
Carbon fibres are usually woven into a fabric sheet
and then impregnated with an epoxy or phenolic
resin and forced into a mould. The material is
then cured (or set) with heated steam to create a
very strong lightweight material.
This is also an
example of a
composite material
Carbon fibre
Formula One racing car bodies, cycle design,
and sports equipment have all benefitted from
the application of this material.
Foamed Metals
Aluminium, for example, can be processed so
that it foams. When sandwiched between two
solid sheets it produces a material which is
lighter, stiffer and more resistant to impact than
solid sheet as the foam core absorbs and
disperses the energy around the small cells
walls. This is particularly useful in vehicle
design, for example.
3D veneers
Usual veneers of different wood species and thicknesses are prepared mechanically to become distortable. This is the basis for 3D forming capabilities (bending in two directions). 3D veneers become more stable if several layers are glued preferably with grains crossing. They can also be applied as a single layer to a carrier panel such as MDF.
Maplex
Maplex looks similar to MDF but is made from 100% pressed wood fibers, with no binding agents. The lack of chemical binding agents makes the material completely biodegradable and recyclable. It can be moulded into interesting forms.
Kevlar
Weight for weight this flexible plastics –based material is five times stronger than steel. It is usually woven and used in layers. Used for body armour and stab-proof vests. Another application is it is used to replace steel in racing tyres.
Breathable fabrics (Gore Tex)
Gore-Tex is manufactured from polytetrafluoroethylene
(PTFE). Used in a wide variety of applications such as
high performance fabrics, medical implants, insulation
for wires and cables, gaskets, and sealants. However,
Gore-Tex is best known for its use in protective, yet
breathable, rain wear.
Polycaprolactone (PCL)
PCL is a low melting point, biodegradable
thermoplastic material widely used in medical
applications. In schools it is known as
Polymorph and can easily be shaped by hand
to resemble injection moulded products
Smart materials
• Colour changing
• Light-emitting
• Moving materials
• Temperature changing
• Thickness changing
These materials can be grouped by how they
react to their environment:
Photochromic materials
• These materials change colour in response to
changes in light.
• Some glasses have reactive lenses which
become darker as the light increases
Thermochromic materials
• These materials change colour in response to
changes in temperature. Kettles and baby
feeding products are just two applications
where it is useful to have a built in
thermometer.
Electroluminescent materials
These materials can produce brilliant light of different colours when an electrical current is passed through them. This produces no heat and is used to create display panels which are just a few millimetres thick.
Fluorescent materials
These materials produce light when exposed to
Ultra Violet (UV) rays. The light stops when the
UV radiation is removed. UV rays are invisible
to the eye.
Phosphorescent materials
These materials produce light after they have
been exposed to a light source, which is later
removed. Warning signs often use these
materials.
Piezoelectric materials
These materials convert mechanical energy to
electrical energy and electrical energy to
mechanical energy. Flashing shoes is one of
many uses.
Shape memory alloys
Some metals can be heat treated so that the metal gains
a memory. One of the most common is called Nitinol
and is an alloy of nickel and titanium. This material as a
wire will shrink by about 5% of its length when an
electrical current is passed through it. It can be
stretched back to its original size once the current is
turned off. This has particular applications in bio-
engineering where is can be placed into collapsed blood
vessels or around broken bones.
Shape memory alloys
Shape memory alloys are also used in some
spectacle frames and these superelastic alloys
can be squashed beyond the point other frames
would snap and will return to their original
shape at room temperature.
Thermoelectric materials
These materials convert body heat into electricity by using a combination of materials (metals or ceramics) that are poor thermal conductors and good electrical conductors. Using body heat to energize small electrical products. This technology has been available since 1989 when Seiko introduced the "Thermic Wristwatch"
Magneto-rheological fluids
These fluids become solids when placed in a
magnetic field. They can be used to construct
dampers which suppress vibrations and are
used on some high performance cars such as
Ferraris.
Microban®
• Microban® is both a company name and a product brand name. It is the brand name for an anti-bacterial system that can be applied to solid plastics and fibres. It was developed by a company called Microban International.
• Developed in 1969 and used in industrial and medical products from 1988. From 1994 its applications were extended to a broader range of consumer products such as socks, shoe inserts, medical dressings etc.
Nanotechnology
This area of science deals with materials at an atomic or
molecular scale and is creating opportunities to develop
materials which just a few years ago would have been
considered as science fiction. Whilst there are some
massive health and safety issues with dealing with
materials which are so small that they could enter the
bloodstream and travel into the brain, this has major
benefits in the delivery of drugs to affected parts of the
body, for example.
Nanotechnology
Anti-microbial agents added in food packaging, UV
protective cosmetics, increasing the strength of polymers
to replicate properties of metals and making surfaces
harder wearing are just some of the current applications
for this technology although it is the development of
newer, smarter, more reactive materials where this is
likely to have the greatest impact.
Nanotechnology – the future
• We can only guess the impact that nanotechnology will have on the products we purchase in the future.
• Products using nanotechnology are doubling each year
• Clothing, cosmetics, dietary supplements, drugs and electronics are areas where there is currently massive investments taking place.
• Pizzas which change flavour according the microwave settings, milk shakes which change flavour according to how much they are shaken seems very much science fiction. However, this technology now exists and the application to food production is one major area of investment.