A. Development in New Materials Flashcards
What is graphene?
A single layer of carbon atoms in a hexagonal lattice.
It is the thinnest material known to date
What is graphene used in?
Sports equipment, cooling technology in mobile phones, batteries, aerospace etc
Properties of titanium
High strength, lightweight, resists corrosion and does not react with human tissue
What is titanium used in?
- Missiles, space and aircraft
- Medicine for artificial joints
What is metal foam?
Cellular structures made up from metal containing gas filled pores
Properties of metal foam
- Good stiffness to weight ratio
- Strong
- Resistant to deformation
- Can be made into complex geometrical forms
- Good heat resistance and sound absorption
What is metal foam used in?
Weight saving and impact absorption in vehicles
What is a liquid crystal display?
Pixels display an image on the screen.
A backlight provides light to the individual pixels
Varying the levels of red, green and blue light, millions of colour combinations are created
Benefits of metal coatings
Helps protect metal, making it more durable and reduce wear and tear.
An unprotected ferrous metal is liable to rust and corrosion due to exposure to the environment
Examples of coated metals
Galvanised steel, plastic coatings like Teflon, anodising, thermoplastic dip coating, painting
What are nanomaterials?
Materials or substances made at a very small scale.
Anything less than 100 nanometres in size
What are the properties of nanomaterials?
Can add properties to products, such as
Lightweight
Tensile strength
Rigidity
Hydrophobic
Bacteria resistant
Repel dirt
Neutralise bad odours
What is polymorph?
A polymer that can be shaped and reshaped multiple times. When warmed to 62C, it becomes flexible and easy to mould into the desired shape.
What is polymorph used for?
- Making bespoke shapes like ergonomic handles.
- Making prototype mechanical parts and for making mouldings
What is Quantum Tunnelling Composite (QTC)?
- A flexible polymer with tiny metal particles embedded into it.
How does QTC conduct electricity?
- Material is squeezed
- Pressure forces particles together
- A current of electrons flor between the particles
- This is known as quantum tunnelling
What are Shape Memory Alloys (SMA)?
A group of materials that revert back to their original shape after being deformed by heat or another external stimulus
What are thermochromic materials?
- Temperature sensitive
- Change colour at certain ranges of temperatures
- Incorporated into inks or for baby products
What are photochromic materials?
- Light sensitive
- Change colour at different UV levels
- Degrade from overexposure to UV light
Where are photochromic materials used?
- Glasses. The lens darkens when exposed to UV light, and reverts back once removed from the UV source
What is a smart material?
Responsive materials that react to external stimuli. They alter the functional or aesthetic properties in response to the changing environment
What is Glass Reinforced Plastic (GRP)?
A polyester material reinforced with the addition of glass fibre, creating a strong and lightweight composite.
What is GRP used in?
- Manufacture of circuit boards
- In the marine industry for boat hulls
- In custom kit car market
What is Carbon fibre Reinforced Plastic (CRP)?
A thermoplastic reinforced with carbon fibres.
It has a high strength to weight ratio
