Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Aim: To understand the different types of materials that exist today
Artificial fibre that was invented 50 years ago Stretches even more than rubber and is more resistant to tears and sunlight or when covered in sweat
Fibres are very thin and trap lots of air which traps heat inside the fabric Heat is also reflected back in to the fabric, which keeps you warm
Very rigid and not easy to shape, but very strong Composite material is made by setting carbon fibres on to Plastic and moulding it in to shape with heat
Smart-material: change properties when conditions change Example: Shape-memory – when it is cooled the shape changes, but when it warms up to room temperature the atoms bounce back in to place
Weight for weight is five times stronger then steel; but it can be woven in to cloth and made into lightweight bulletproof vests
Has a special plastic layer sandwiched in between the fabric that has millions of microscopic holes Breathability: stops you getting sweaty The drops of water in rain are to big to get inside the fabric
Non-stick coating used in frying pans Incredibly slippery Now used in fabric that is stain resistant as well
Nanotechnology Nanometer: 1 billionth of a meter Nanoparticles: range from nanometers in length Have strange but useful properties Example: titanium dioxide in new sunscreen (the particles are so small that you can’t see them, but they still block UV rays)
Examples of Nanotechnology Nanocomposites: combination of nanoparticles are other regular particles – Example: microfibres Nanotubes: sheets of carbon atoms that are rolled up on each other Nanobots: nano-sized machines
Plenary: Match the terms to the definitions