The so-called "super-material" in the industry will first be sapphires. That's right, this super-hard material attracts the attention of Apple. But apart from sapphire, scientists have developed many of the most significant super materials in the lab, and six of these will be covered in this article.
Speaking of the so-called "super-material" in the industry, I believe many people would first think of sapphires. That's right, this super-hard material attracts the attention of Apple. But apart from sapphire, scientists have developed many of the most significant super materials in the lab, and six of these will be covered in this article.
Self-healing materials - Bionic plastics
The body has a very strong self-healing ability, but the built environment does not have this ability. Last year, Scott White of the University of Illinois developed a biomimetic plastic with the ability to repair itself. The polymer is embedded with a "blood vessel system" made up of liquid that, when broken, can ooze and agglomerate like blood. Compared to other materials that can only repair tiny cracks, this bionic plastic can repair cracks up to 4 mm wide.
Thermoelectric material - heat scavenger
Waste heat generation is inevitable for any device that uses energy. It is estimated that two-thirds of all energy used by mankind has been lost as waste heat. But if there is a way to capture these wasted energy?
Last year, a company called Alphabet Energy developed a hot-spot generator that can be plugged directly into the exhaust of a regular generator to convert waste heat into usable electricity. The generator uses a relatively inexpensive and natural thermoelectric material called tetrahedrite, which is said to yield 5-10% energy efficiency.
Among the labs, scientists are already studying another promising and potentially more efficient thermoelectric material known as fossilite, a cobalt-containing mineral. Thermoelectric materials have now begun small-scale applications - such as spacecraft - but the low cost and energy efficiency of the cobaltite can be used to wrap cars, refrigerators or any machine exhaust pipe.
Perovskite - Cheap solar cells
Cost is the biggest obstacle to the development of renewable energy. Solar energy is becoming cheaper, but the cost and energy consumption of using crystalline silicon for making solar cells is still very high. In addition to crystalline silicon, there is another alternative that can be used to make solar cells, which is perovskite.
Perovskites have been discovered for more than 100 years now, but scientists are not aware of the potential of this material until now. In 2009, solar cells made with perovskites had solar conversion rates of 3.8%. By 2014, this figure has risen to 19.3%. While this may not be as good as more than 20% of the energy efficiency of traditional crystalline silicon cells, there are two other key points to consider: First, the energy efficiency of perovskites has increased dramatically in just a few years , And scientists believe that this material is still possible to enhance the future; Second, the cost of perovskites is much lower.
Perovskites are a class of materials defined by a specific crystal structure and may contain any number of elements, typically lead and tin, for use in solar cells. These raw materials are much cheaper than crystalline silicon and can be sprayed onto glass without the need for careful assembly in clean rooms.
Aerogel - Ultra-light, super tough
Aerogel may seem like an untrue material. Although it looks empty and ethereal, but it can easily withstand the heat of a torch, or the weight of a car. As the name implies, this is a gel whose liquid is completely replaced by air, which is why it looks like a cloud of smoke. Aerogel can be made from any number of materials, including silica, metal oxide, and graphene. As the air accounts for the vast majority, Aerogel is an excellent insulator. Its structure also gives it extra strength and toughness.
However, Aerogel also has a fatal flaw: brittle, especially when the raw material is silica. But scientists at NASA have experimented with a flexible Aerogel made from a polymer that acts as an insulation for a spacecraft as it passes through the atmosphere. The addition of other compounds to the silica Aerogel enhances its flexibility, coupled with its lightness, toughness and insulation, making it an incredible material.
Metamaterials - light manipulators
If you have heard of metamaterials, then it should also be mentioned in the introduction of materials, "Harry Potter" and "invisibility cloak." Yes, metamaterial nanostructures are able to scatter light in a specific way, and in the future it may really make the object invisible.
More interestingly, metamaterials can not only redirect visible light. Metamaterials can also scatter microwaves, radio waves, and less well-known T-rays, depending on the mode of manufacture and the material used. In fact, any kind of electromagnetic spectrum can be controlled by metamaterials.
For example, if a new T-ray scanner is made of metamaterials, its performance can change from time to time, whether it be used in medical or safety areas.
Stanene - 100% electrical conductivity of the material
Like graphene, Stanene is also a material made from a single atomic layer. However, due to the use of tin atoms instead of carbon atoms, this gives it a characteristic that graphene can not: 100% conductivity.
Stanene was theorized for the first time by Professor Zhang Shousheng of Stanford University in 2013. The electronic properties of Stanene are predicted to be one of the areas where Professor Zhang's lab excels. According to their model, Stanene is a topological insulator, that is, it has conductors at the edges and insulators at the interior. As a result, Stanene conducts zero resistance at room temperature.
Stanene's properties have not been experimentally tested - after all, making a single layer of tin atoms is not easy - but Professor Chang's many predictions for some other topological insulators have proven to be correct.
If Stanene's prediction is also confirmed, it could have a revolutionary impact on all microcomputers inside electronic devices. In other words, the performance of the chip will be greatly enhanced. Due to the heat generated by the electrons, the performance of the silicon chip is limited - if it runs too fast, the heat will be too high - whereas Stanene with 100% conductivity will not have this problem.