It's an advanced material world
Box 2 | Designing new materials
There are only about 100 different kinds of atoms in the universe. What is created from these atoms depends on how they are put together. The charcoal left after a fire, graphite in a pencil, diamonds in jewellery and carbon nanotubes are all made of carbon atoms put together in different ways.
An understanding and manipulation of the atomic and molecular structure of materials allows scientists to create new materials.
Materials scientists use the four interrelated areas of structure, properties, processing and performance to develop new materials. Structure determines the appearance of a material and its properties. Properties include such things as conductivity, hardness and melting point. Processing relates to how the material is made – things like heating, cooling or applying pressure. Performance is a measure of how well a material functions in its intended use.
The performance of materials can be modified by adding thin films or coatings to surfaces or injecting other elements into the near-surface. An example of this is the razor blades produced by Gillette, which have a surface coating applied to maintain a sharp cutting edge.
An example of the tailoring of advanced materials is that of polymer light-emitting diodes, or polyLEDS. Previously, LEDs were only available in red or green. Any colour in the visible spectrum can now be made by modifying the structure of the polymer – such as poly(p-phenylenevinylene) or poly(fluorene) – or by adding dyes to the polymer to change the colour of light emitted.
Boxes
Box 1. What does a materials scientist do?
Box 3. Advanced materials in the human body
Related sites
Combinatorial materials science (Centre of Advanced European Studies and Research)
Organic semiconductors in a spin (PhysicsWeb, UK)
Full-colour glow-in-the-dark materials unveiled (New Scientist, 13 March 2007)
Polymer ‘muscles’ add colour to visual displays (New Scientist, 18 August 2006)
US and Canadian skiers get smart armour (New Scientist, 14 February 2006)
Page updated June 2007.