Advanced Materials and Their Diverse Applications

Composite Materials

Composite materials combine different components to achieve enhanced properties. Key types include:

Metal Matrix Composites

Arrays of metal, such as copper-alumina and titanium metal matrices, are used in aerospace applications with boron carbide and silicon carbide fibers.

Ceramic Matrix Composites

These are arrays of carbon graphite fibers used to improve the toughness of ceramics and maintain their properties.

Polymeric Matrix Composites

Polymeric matrices, like polyester with carbon fiber, provide flexibility and enhance the resistance of the fiber.

New Material Categories

Advances in materials research and manufacturing have enabled the creation of new materials from cheap and abundant raw materials, requiring less energy consumption. These new materials include ceramics, conductive plastics, and photonic materials.

New Ceramic Materials

New ceramic materials, obtained by baking clay and water, are characterized by high melting points, thermal and chemical resistance, and high rigidity. However, they have a low coefficient of thermal expansion.

Conductive Plastics

In 1981, the first battery electrodes were made with conductive plastic. By 1989, the first fully rechargeable battery with plastic conductivity comparable to copper was developed. Doping polyacetylene was necessary to achieve this conductivity, freeing electron motion not bound to any polymer atoms. Conductive plastic sheets can be made light, and are used in Panasonic television screens, posters, appliance flags, and other applications.

Photonic Materials

Photonic materials can transmit signals in the form of light impulses at high speed due to their transparency. Their use is being studied in the construction of transistors and other devices to build photonic computers 1000 times faster than current ones.

Conductive Materials

Metallic Conductors

Metallic conductive materials are used as electrical conductors due to their good conductivity. However, they exhibit a certain resistance to the flow of electric current when temperature increases. This phenomenon is known as the Joule effect.

Superconducting Materials

Superconducting materials are used in applications such as:

• Production of large electromagnetic fields in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) equipment for research and hospitals.
• Conducting high-density electric current without charge loss.
• High-speed connectors in electronic circuits.
• Maglev trains.

Biomaterials

Biomaterials are biological materials capable of replacing the function of organs or tissues. They are designed for implantation in a living organism without rejection. Examples of biomaterials include:

• Denture heart valves
• Bone prostheses
• Blood bags
• Rhinoplasty
• Dentures