Technical aspects of designing and making

Smart and Modern

Materials

Aim of the lesson

• To understand about Smart and Modern materials used by Graphic designers-what they are; how they are made; their properties and uses.

Starter

What is meant by the term ‘SMART’ materials ?

Smart materials can be regarded as materials that respond to a change of temperature, humidity, contact with water, electrical current or other inputs.They usually change in terms of colour or shape when responding to an input.

Polymorph Polymorph is a thermoplastic material that can be shaped and reshaped any number

of times. It can be heated in hot water and when it reaches 62 degrees centigrade, the granules fuse together to form a mass of ‘clear’ material. When removed from the hot water it can be shaped into almost any form and on cooling it becomes as solid and strong as a material such as nylon.

Polymorph is suitable for 3D modelling as it can be shaped by hand or pressed into a shape through the use of a mould.

Polymorph is used for:• manufacturing awkward shapes such as ergonomic handles• joining components together• making moulds for vacuum forming• product-modeling, especially where curved shapes are involved (for example handles).

AROMA PIGMENTS • These are inks / paints that produce an aroma when scratched. They

are popular in ‘scratch and sniff’ products, such as perfume samples etched into women’s magazines.

• The scent is held in millions of micro-spheres. They are absorbed by a suitable pigment / ink / paint, which is them printed/painted on the surface of the sticker. When the ink / paint on the aroma sticker is rubbed or scratched, the spheres burst, allowing the scent to escape and float in the atmosphere

• diagram

Thermochromic inks• Thermochromic pigments react to changes in temperature, changing colour

at different times of the day and when exposed to different temperature levels.

• Thermochromatic pigments are supplied in paste form and can be mixed with any type of acrylic paint. At normal room temperature the pigment shows its usual colour, but when heated above 27°C the colour changes to black. When the temperature falls below 27° C again the colour reappears

• They are also used as food packaging materials that show you when the product they contain is cooked to the right temperature.

• Thermo-chromic film is a self adhesive sheet material that is printed with thermo-chromic liquid crystal 'ink'.

• It is most commonly used in windows and baby spoons to determine the temperature of the food.

Photochromic inks and pigments.• Photochromic pigments react to changes in

light levels.• They are used for security markers that can

only be seen in ultraviolet light.• Photochromic dyes and inks are used for anti-

counterfeiting measures, sun tan cream packaging and reactive glasses.

Photochromic inks and pigments

Photoluminescent pigments (Phosphorescent and Fluorescent pigments).

These are pigments which glow in the dark. They are able to absorb light energy and store it. This stored energy is released as light energy over a period of time, usually in the dark.

They are often used for emergency signs and contain a photoluminescent layer.

Photoluminescent pigments The difference between them: Phosphorescent materials re-emit absorbed light

energy over a long period of time. Fluorescent materials absorb light energy and then

emit light very quickly.

Examples of graphic products that incorporate phosphorescent and fluorescent paints are in emergency and safety signage.

For signage, the process is the same for both materials. Layers of paint and photoluminescent pigments are screen printed on to a base layer.

Photoluminescent pigments

• http://www.tes.co.uk/teaching-resource/Graphic-Products-6364675/

Hydro-chromic ink

Hydro-chromic ink changes colour when wet. Examples include... Packaging-Where wetting a surface reveals a

winning or losing number in a competition. Combating fraudulent claims-Inside mobile

phones and other electronic equipment is an irreversible hydrochromic dot.

Hydro-chromic ink

Hydro-chromic ink changes colour when wet. Examples include... Packaging-Where wetting a surface reveals a

winning or losing number in a competition. Combating fraudulent claims-Inside mobile

phones and other electronic equipment is an irreversible hydrochromic dot.

Hydro-chromic, Photoluminescent, Photochromic, Aroma or Thermochromic pigments?

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• This promotional puzzle is used by a company called ‘PHK Chemicals’.

• The puzzle is made from 5 mm thick foamboard. • Name two smart or modern materials that

could be used to make the surface graphics on the puzzle more appealing.

• 1 ................................................................................................................................................. 2 ............................................................................................................................................ [2]

Nanotechnology• In 1959, in a famous after-dinner speech called "There's plenty of room at the

bottom," the brilliant American physicist Richard Feynman speculated about an incredibly tiny world where people could use tiny tools to rearrange atoms and molecules. By 1974, Japanese engineering professor Norio Taniguchi had named this field "nanotechnology."

• The “nano” in nanotechnology comes from the Greek word “nanos” that means dwarf. One nanometer is one-billionth of a metre - that is about 100,000 times smaller than the diameter of a single human hair.

• Nano technology is about making, manipulating and measuring extremely tiny things that are so small they are measured in ‘nanometres’.

• In nanotechnology, scientists combine molecules in new ways to make brand new products and processes to produce new or enhanced materials.

• Lots of substances behave very differently in the world of atoms and molecules. Materials can have different physical properties on the nanoscale.

Self-cleaning glass

• Self-cleaning glass is an award-winning British invention. • It works using a 15 nanometre coating of titanium

dioxide that promotes a reaction between the Sun's UV rays and dirt.

• The broken-down grime is washed away by rain. By cutting out detergent, these windows are good for the environment too.

• Ramblers and bikers on the Trans Pennine Trail can now see their routes more clearly thanks to the self-cleaning glass that covers map boards along the route.

Keeping food fresh.

• Nano materials could help keep food fresh for longer.

• Meat and cheese are often packed in protective wrappings that stop them drying out, spoiling or tainting other foods. The best packaging lets in the least air.

• Now nanotechnology can make this barrier twice as good. When mixed with plastic, tiny platelets only a few nanometres thick form a maze which air takes a long time to get through.

Nanotubes• In 1991, carbon nanotubes were discovered by a Japanese scientist,

Sumio Iijima, opening up huge interest in new engineering applications. They are among the most exciting of nanomaterials.

• Carbon nanotubes are tiny hollow cylinders of carbon that are tens of thousands of times smaller than a human hair, but several times stronger and stiffer than steel.

• Nanotubes are highly conductive, both of electricity and heat, with conductivity as high as copper. 100 times stronger than steel but 1/6 of the weight.

• Although they're hollow, their densely packed structure makes them incredibly strong and they can be grown into fibres of virtually any length.

Tiny but tough • This is a model of a carbon

nanotube. Carbon nanotubes are as stiff as diamond, 100 times stronger than steel and 6 times lighter than steel. These are all attributes that make them an ideal material for sports equipment, where strength and light weight are essential.

Carbon nanotubes strengthen tennis rackets, golf clubs, skis and bikes.

Nano whiskers

• You might be wearing nanotechnology trousers, which have a resistance to stains. They are products made from fabrics coated with "nanowhiskers." These tiny surface fibres are so small that dirt cannot penetrate into them, which means the deeper layers of material stay clean.

Superstick tape

• The idea comes from gecko toes, which get their sticking power not from glue but millions of nanosize split hairs. Each split end exerts a tiny force; millions together are strong enough to let geckos scurry up walls. With enough ‘split ends’ of the right size, superstick nano tape could let humans climb walls too.

Nanocrystals• Nanocrystals of various metals have been shown to be 100 percent,

200 percent and even as much as 300 percent harder than the same materials in bulk form. Because wear resistance often is dictated by the hardness of a metal, parts made from nanocrystals might last significantly longer than conventional parts.”

• Examples: "Metal nanocrystals might be incorporated into car bumpers, making the parts stronger, or into aluminum, making it more wear resistant.

• Metal nanocrystals might be used to produce bearings that last longer than their conventional counterparts, new types of sensors and components for computers and electronic hardware.

• Polymer dispersions are found in exterior paints, coatings and adhesives, or are used in the finishing of paper, textiles and leather.

Shining example

• This glossy paint doesn’t lose its lustre. A covering of clear, shiny lacquer protects it from car-wash scratches and airborne pollutants. The coating contains ceramic nanoparticles that cross-link to form a strong shield against the outside world. This sample shows how nanoparticle clearcoat

(on the right) protects paint from scratches

Nano-Solar cell vests• This lightweight solar vest

would contain flexible solar panels made from tightly packed, nano-sized semi conductor crystals. Solar power collected by the vest would be turned into electric current, to run all sorts of portable gear, such as MP3 players, laptops and mobile phones

Nanostructured polymer films

• Kodak is producing OLED colour screens (made of nanostructured polymer films) for use in car stereos and mobile phones.

• OLEDs (organic light emitting diodes) may enable thinner, lighter, more flexible, less power- consuming displays. Other consumer products such as cameras, PDAs, laptops and flatscreen televisions are made from plastic film built on the nanoscale.

Rollup screens and displays

• Recent nanotechnology developments have led to the thinnest electronics ever. One product of the future will be an ultra-thin monitor made with carbon nanotubes that shoot beams of electrons at special chemicals in a television screen. The screen gives off light and creates an image.

• Nanotubes are much thinner then traditional TV components.

Nanoclays and Nanocomposites

• Used in packaging, like beer bottles, as a barrier, allowing for thinner material, with a subsequently lighter weight, and greater shelf-life.

• The impact of this nano technology is that reduced weight means transportation costs decline. Changing from glass and aluminum to plastic reduces production costs.

• Nanoclays help to hold the pressure and carbonation inside the bottle, increasing shelf life.

• Nanocor is one company producing nanoclays and nanocomposites, for a variety of uses, including flame retardants, barrier film (as in juice containers), and bottle barrier (as shown above). "They are not only used to improve existing products, but also are extending their reach into areas formerly dominated by metal, glass and wood."

Stink-free socks

• Nanotechnology uses silver nanoparticles in sock fabric to kill bacteria and fungus in feet and stop them smelling. Silver has long been used to combat bacterial growth but nanotechnology has provided a better way to get silver into socks without bothering your feet or coming out in the wash.

• sports equipment: nanoparticles are added to materials to make them stronger whilst often being lighter. They have been used in tennis rackets, golf clubs and shoes.

• clothing: silver nanoparticles have been added to socks. This stops them from absorbing the smell of sweaty feet as the nanoparticles have antibacterial properties

• healthcare: nanoparticles are used in sunscreens. They offer protection and can be rubbed in so there are no white marks.

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_qPX7AhjL9M

Plenary

1. Tick the most appropriate ‘key word’ that describes nano technology.

Smaller bigger heavier2. State one application of nanotechnology