The race is on – for stronger, lighter and more sustainable materials
“Materials have always been about enthusiasm. Materials are a dream that we have realized. Everything is possible, it’s just that we have to make it happen,” says Mark Miodownik, author behind the popular book Stuff Matters, in the fourth film of the Looking Ahead series.
Demands from industry are requiring that materials be lighter, tougher, thinner, denser and more flexible or rigid, as well as being heat- and wear-resistant. Researchers are pushing the boundaries of what we imagine is possible, seeking to improve and enhance existing materials and at the same time come up with completely new materials that, while years away from day-today use, take us down entirely new technological pathways.
Which material will dominate our time? In the new film Looking Ahead 4: Tomorrow’s Materials, we explore graphene as well as composites and their properties. Watch the film on the Sandvik Coromant website