New Materials Flashcards
Describe the function of corn starch polymers.
Corn starch is a smart material that can be used as a thickening agent in food.
What are thermochromic pigments? How can they be used?
Thermochromic pigments are pigments that can be used in paints that dynamically change colour based on the amount of heat they are exposed to.
They can be used in children’s bath toys to ensure that the temperature of the water is not too high.
What is polymorph? Describe how it can be used.
Polymorph is a thermoplastic that can be shaped and reshaped any number of times.
Polymorph granules are exposed to hot water, at which point the gradules begin to slowly join together.
Polymorph is particularly useful for rapid 3D modelling.
What is Nitinol?
A shape memory alloy (SMA) that can be ‘programmed’ to remember a shape.
If the shape is changed, and then exposed to hot water, the object returns to its original shape.
