Chapter 8 Flashcards
Corn starch polymers
A sustainable branch of polymers
Advantages -
Fully biodegradable
Non-toxic
Disadvantages -
Cannot be recycled (small amounts mixed with other recyclable plastics can make the whole batch unusable)
PLA (polyactic acid) - an example of a corn starch polymer
Appearance - smooth or textured finish, easily coloured
Characteristics - easily moulded, non-toxic, fully biodegradable
Uses - bottles, pots, pens, disposable food/drink containers
PHB (aka Biopol) - an example of a corn starch polymer
Appearance - smooth or textured finish, easily coloured
Characteristics - stable, stiff (but brittle), non-toxic, limited chemical resistance, fully (but slowly) biodegradable
Uses - bottles, pots, household items, disposable food containers
Flexible MDF
Standard MDF, but it has grooves cut across the width or length of the board, this leaves about 2mm of the board intact
Appearance - light brown, cut on one side and smooth on the other
Characteristics - flexible (in one direction) along the cut groove, easily shaped into curves and waves, (not very good in wet conditions)
Uses - modern furniture, interior walls and room dividers
Titanium
A very versatile metal which is typically allowed with other metals. Pure titanium doesn’t react with the human body
Appearance - light grey, can be polished
Characteristic - high strength to weight ratio, corrosion resistant, hypo-allergenic, easily formed and welded
Uses - jewellery, watches, medical uses like artificial joints, air/spacecraft, sports car parts
Fibre optics
Allow digital information to travel as pulses of light along glass strands at very high speeds. Doesn’t suffer from electromagnetic interference
Appearance - clear glass fibre core in glass cladding, covered with strengthening fibres and a plastic jacket
Characteristics - flexible cable, can transfer digital data incredibly quickly
Uses - data transfer, endoscopic cameras, lighting display
Graphene
A million times thinner than a human hair, but 200 times stringer than steel. Very new materials
Appearance - one atom thick, transparent
Characteristics - highly conductive, flexible/stretchable, impermeable to all known substances, very strong and lightweight
Uses - potential uses in medicine, electronics, and the energy industry
LCDs
Monochrome
Appearance - solid areas that appear dark when voltage is applied
Characteristics - low power consumption, cheap
Uses - watches, clocks, microwave ovens
Full-colour
Appearance - RGB Pixels that offer full screen images
Characteristics - can be very bright, contrast isn’t very good which can cause a restricted viewing angle
Uses - watches, mobile phones, flat computer and TV screens
Nanomaterials
Appearance - between 1 and 100 nanometers (can be 1000 nanometers in one dimension)
Examples - carbon nanotubes, fullerenes, and quantum dots
Uses - help electronics miniaturisation whilst also improving conductivity, protective coatings against water, UV Rays, and bacteria
Metal foams
Porous metal structures typically made from aluminium and titanium. They are created by injecting gas into the liquid metals and let it condense
Appearance - closed or open structure, same colour as base metal
Characteristics - strong👍, lightweight👍, conductive👍, good sound absorption👍,very porous👎
Uses - medical implants, air raft and car parts, lightweight load-bearing structures
Polymorph
Polymer that comes in small plastic granules. When heated to 62°C the granules fuse together to become a mouldable substance. It can be moulded by hand and becomes solid when cooled. When reheated it will soften and become mouldable again.
A lower temperature version called Coolmorph forms at 42°C
Appearance - off white translucent pellet, can be coloured with pigments
Characteristics - easily mouldable, non-toxic, reusable, fully biodegradable
Uses - repairs, hand-shaped artefacts, jewellery, modelling and prototyping
Modern material
A material recently developed
