Archives for January 2018

Sci-Fi Come to Life

For decades, science fiction in books and movies have captivated audiences worldwide, imagining new worlds and impossible scenarios, and perhaps most interestingly, new technologies.  From Star Wars to Back to the Future, our culture has become obsessed with these fantastical stories.  We may not have lightsabers to fight our battles, or DeLoreans which can take us back in time, but some technologies from these and other sci fi stories have been developed since their release.  That’s the great thing about scientists, if we really want something (especially something nerdy), we’ll do whatever it takes to get it, even developing new materials.  Today, let’s rev our engines up to 88 miles an hour and head to a galaxy far, far away.  It’s time for the newest edition of Materials Mash-Up.

 

You probably remember the iconic scene from Star Wars in which Darth Vader chops off Luke’s hand with a lightsaber.  It’s an intense moment, and later Luke is fitted with a bionic hand, which allows him to carry on with his normal life, fighting the dark side and whatnot.  In the time of the release of the Star Wars films, prosthetics’ capabilities were limited, but in the time since then, the field of artificial limbs has improved drastically.  The advent of 3D printing allows for extreme personalization of prosthetics, and new technologies can even connect to the brain to control the prosthesis.  These models are called “Luke Arms.”

Luke’s bionic hand from the films

The “Luke Arm” developed by Mobius, a new frontier in prosthetics

Another SciFi favorite is Back to the Future, which in its second movie traveled to 2015.  We recently passed that year, and many fans were excited to see if the technological developments had met the movie’s predictions.  One of the most notable inventions from the series was the flying cars, and these are actually in development.  The biggest challenge in matching ideas from the movie is VTOL, or Vertical Take Off and Landing.  This process requires a 1:1 weight to thrust ratio, so it is very impractical for cars.  Engine blocks need to be made with thermodynamically stable materials, which are almost always heavy, and while lightweight materials like aluminum can be used for car frames and exteriors, other materials are needed as well, and the weight requirements make these types of cars simply unsustainable.

The Back to the Future DeLorean engaging in VTOL

As Marty McFly, hero of Back to the Future, is exploring the 2015 town, he sees a holographic shark as a movie advertisement.  This was something that seemed truly unreasonable to replicate in the real world.  Today, however, we’re much closer to this end goal than many would ever have anticipated.  Holograms with which we can interact are under development (although right now they’re no bigger than a pencil eraser).  In addition, 3D viewing without glasses has been researched for years.  Maybe you remember the Nintendo 3DS?  This technology is able to work because there are a limited number of viewing angles, as well as a small screen.  The difficulties only increase as viewing positions and size of image increase.  In a crowded square such as that where Marty is standing in the film, the number of potential viewing angles would be huge, and thus the 3D viewing technologies would be extremely difficult to implement.  One company based in Austria, though, has developed 3D billboards which, if not viewed at the correct angle, simply appear two dimensional, an easy fix to a huge problem.

3D billboard concept art from the Austrian country

Science Fiction has allowed us to express our hopes and dreams for the future and our wildest fantasies, our proudest ideas and cleverest solutions, years or even decades before they could be possible in the real world.  It’s because of people who weren’t afraid to dream and innovate that we have some of these amazing technologies today.  Keep on dreaming, and may the force be with you.

 

Until next time,

 

Natalie Cummings

 

A Study in Contradictions

Materials Science and Engineering is an interesting field because at times it seems to contradict itself.  It combines science, a theoretical field, and engineering, which is all about application.  Materials range from aerogels, the lightest material ever made, to graphene, a single atom-thick sheet of which is 200 times stronger than steel.  The new materials we make allow mankind to travel to the deepest abysses in the oceans and to the furthest reaches of our atmosphere and beyond.  We design products to withstand incredible heat and blistering cold.  Humans have been utilizing metallurgical techniques for millennia, yet we are still making new discoveries every day.  One man who understood and embraced this contradiction was Gustave Eiffel.

Gustave Eiffel

If you’ve ever heard of a little town called Paris, you’ve probably heard of Eiffel and his tower there.  It was intended to be the centerpiece for the 1889 World’s Fair, and to remain assembled for just 20 years.  It would serve as a demonstration of France’s position on the forefront of engineering, of modern architecture, and of course on the cutting edge of culture.  Eiffel himself was a surprising combination: a gifted engineer and a visionary modern architect.

“Are we to believe that because one is an engineer, one is not preoccupied by beauty in one’s constructions, or that one does not seek to create elegance as well as solidity and durability? Is it not true that the very conditions which give strength also conform to the hidden rules of harmony?” –Gustave Eiffel

The Eiffel Tower

His vision for this tower was something unexpected, something entirely new in the realm of architecture, focusing on form rather than function.  To make this tower a truly monumental structure, Eiffel planned for it to be more than 1000 feet high.  Mathematicians of his era told him that after 780 feet, the tower would surely collapse.  With some materials savvy, though, Eiffel was able to avoid this fate, and create a structure that is still standing today.

The reason for this stability is the chosen material, puddled iron.  Eiffel wanted to utilize the new metallography techniques of his day to demonstrate the heightened strength of steel over stone, with less weight.  Puddled iron, which is no longer in use today, had a few amazing properties which come from its production.  All of its impurities are removed in a furnace, and then it is formed into balls.  These balls are then wrought into rods or other materials which are necessary for construction.  This unique process makes the surface of the puddled iron especially accepting of coatings, which has helped the tower to protect against its environment for more than 125 years.  It has been painted 18 times in its history, and is on a regular schedule to continue receiving this treatment to protect it from the elements.

A good view of the Eiffel Tower, formed from puddled iron

When the Eiffel Tower was first unveiled, almost all of Paris was in outrage, with critics describing it with such phrases as “this truly tragic street lamp” (Léon Bloy).  Over the years, though, it became a symbol of national pride, and the city truly embraced its landmark.  With the addition of a weather station on an upper landing and a radio transmitter at its top, the tower became functional as well as beautiful, and truly cemented itself as an integral part of the Paris landscape.

 

Au revoir,

Natalie

Materials Gone Wild

More than 953,000 species of animals have been described around the world.  From mammals to invertebrates, the characteristics displayed by these species are remarkably diverse.  These organisms often have interesting properties, which can inspire new materials.  Plants can inspire new materials as well, they often have interesting structural or adhesive properties.

Close-up view of Velcro

Maybe the most well-known example of this phenomenon is Velcro.  This handy tool for attachment was formulated by a Swiss man, George de Mestral, after he returned from a hike in the woods to find burrs stuck to his coat and his dog.  From this observation, de Mestral created Velcro, which has been a day-to-day staple for years.  Happy accidents like this one aren’t the only way in which bioinspired materials are created.  Another material began in the deep sea, with an organism called glass sponges.  These organisms’ skeletons are made of a type of glass which has a density one tenth of that of water, while still being incredibly strong.  The science behind this seeming contradiction comes from its wide range of structural sizes.  This sponge’s skeleton has structures on the nano, micro, and millimeter scales.  This allows an unprecedented level of structural integrity, which wouldn’t be possible with just a traditional structure.

Glass sponge skeleton

In order to stay in their desired habitat, mollusks utilize a super-strong adhesive to adhere to rocks.  This adhesive is a product of a few key amino acids, which have been recently isolated for human usage.  The advantages of a mollusk-inspired adhesive come from the challenges these organisms have to face in their environment.  Since these animals live in marine habitats, this adhesive is waterproof and quick-drying, which can be incredibly useful for numerous commercial applications.

Blue Morpho Butterfly

If you’ve ever seen the blue morpho butterfly, you know how brightly iridescent its coloring is.  Its wings are a bold, beautiful blue, and this intense coloration comes from its structure and its interaction with light, rather than from pigments.  This structure can be replicated with a printable mold, and this technology can be added to iridescent paint.  It also has the potential to be useful in anti-counterfeit devices.  This structural iridescence is something that would have taken years and years of development, but because of its presence in the animal kingdom, scientists could take a leap forward in their research of this fascinating property.

 

One of the biggest problems in hospitals today is the potential for infection.  Bacteria can travel throughout the hospital, putting lives at risk.  For a solution, materials scientists turned to some animals which almost never get sick- sharks.  The skin of sharks have a distinctive pattern, which can be replicated in plastic.  This pattern, for some reason, inhibits the survival of bacteria, and can reduce the potential for infection significantly.

A microscopic view of the shark skin inspired material

The fact of the matter is, ideas for new materials can come from anywhere.  Every new organism we discover has unlimited potential to change the world, we simply must be willing to take a closer look.  Whether from deep-sea creatures or everyday plants, nature can influence the field of materials science in ways many people never would have anticipated.

 

Until next time,

 

Natalie

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