Matter Organization, Properties, and Material Science
Matter Organization and Properties
The Periodic Table
The periodic table is a summary of accumulated knowledge about the elements. Dimitri Mendeleev created it in 1869, sorting all known elements and leaving space for those yet to be discovered.
Complexity of Structure
- Chemical Elements: Matter is composed of chemical elements. In 2008, 116 elements were known, with 90 occurring naturally.
- Chemical Compounds: A chemical compound is a substance that can be separated into its components by physical processes.
- Mixtures of Materials (Alloys): Alloys are artificially made mixtures of two or more chemical elements or compounds, prepared to create new substances with specific functions.
- Composites: Composites are compounds formed by two or more materials with very different chemical or physical properties, resulting in a substance with properties distinct from its components.
Procurement of Materials
- Natural Materials: Wood, granite, etc.
- Processed Materials: Paper, cement, etc., transformed from natural materials.
- Artificial or Synthetic Materials: Plastic, artificial fibers, obtained through chemical or physical processes.
- Recycled Materials: Glass, paper, etc., procured from the same material.
Material Properties
Density, hardness, toughness, ductility, brittleness, malleability, resistance to compression, tension, torsion, flexion, elasticity, plasticity, melting point, thermal conductivity, expansion capacity, specific heat, electrical conductivity, magnetic behavior, corrosion resistance, sound conductivity, color, transparency, reflectivity, refractive index, brightness, fluorescence, and polarization capacity of light.
Feedstock and Ores
- Feedstock: Materials extracted from nature to manufacture products. Metals are not pure in nature but are found in minerals.
- Ore: A solid substance composed of natural elements in the Earth’s crust, containing a metal and a nonmetal.
- Ore (definition 2): A mineral containing sufficient quantities of a metal to be of economic interest.
Minerals are a limited, non-renewable resource. Some metals are obtained and refined through recycling. Extraction systems use heat or electricity, often involving a chemical reaction of reduction to obtain the pure metal.
Coltan
In Africa, the word “coltan” refers to columbite and tantalite, two minerals of significant importance in the electronics industry.
- Niobium: Used in the manufacture of high-powered magnets and key magnetic components in micromotors.
- Tantalum: Used in the manufacture of capacitors and batteries present in all electronics.
Plasticity and Paper
Plasticity is a property of materials that allows them to easily take the most appropriate form.
The Role of Paper
Paper’s origin is the Cyperus papyrus plant. The key to paper manufacture is obtaining cellulose.
Problems Associated with Paper Manufacture
Deforestation, huge amounts of water usage, river pollution, and energy consumption.
Solutions to Problems
- Deforestation: Controlled logging.
- Water Consumption: Use closed water cycles.
- Energy Consumption: Use less energy when recycling paper.
In the future, the solution would be to take care of the appearance of paper in electronic nanotechnology.
Nanotechnology
Nanoscience: Nanotechnology is based on scientific development in materials, the study of all aspects of nanometer-sized materials. Scientists call this nanoscience.
Nanotechnology is applied science that addresses the design, manufacture, and application of materials and devices at the nanoscale (10^-9 m).
Nanotechnology Around Us
- Electrical Appliances: Flexible carbon nanotube drums and LEDs.
- Applications in Electronics: Nanochips.
- Applications in Medicine and Pharmacy.
- Applications in the Textile Industry and Architecture.
- Planning Applications: Coatings, photochromic glasses, and ceramics.