From the bronze agenamed after the creation of a new metal from the combination or alloy of two others (copper and tin), human beings have sought to develop new materials for various uses, producing some that appear closer to magic than to science, truly amazing, like the materials created by man that we offer you below.
4 man-made materials that are AMAZING
1. Prince Rupert’s drops
They are also known as Rupert spheres or “Dutch tears” and “Batavian tears.” The crystal properties that characterize them were discovered in the 17th century. Are extremely resistant glass beadsoriginally from Germany and Holland, although they were described for the first time by the Royal Society From london. The technique to produce them consists of dropping drops of molten glass into cold water; The glass hardens quickly on the outside, but remains very hot in the center.
This makes the drop extraordinarily resistant on the sphere, which can withstand a hammer blow, and extremely fragile on the tail, where a simple blow is enough for the drop to disintegrate instantly. The name comes from the fact that Prince Rupert was the first to bring these incredible glass drops to England.
2. Vantablack, the blackest substance made by humans
It was created by a group of English scientists using carbon nanotubes, and it is the blackest material invented by humans. The nanotube network is so dense that it traps light, does not bounce or reflect it, and converts it into heat.
This material, developed in Surrey, England, is 10 times stronger than steel and can absorb heat better than any other material.
3. Hydrophobic metal
One of the most surprising materials created by man is this one, developed at the University of Rochester, United States, which can repel water and stay completely dry. This material was developed by inserting small pieces of platinum, titanium and bronze into a metal surface and using laser technology in a series of microgrooves. The production of this material on an industrial scale would make it possible to make self-cleaning, easy-to-maintain equipment that would not freeze and was truly stainless.
4. Super resistant hydrogel
In 2015, scientists at Massachusetts Tech developed an extremely resistant glue, made up of 90% water. This hydrogel is a transparent substance similar to the tendons of the body and with an impressive resistance that, when biocompatiblecould have a wide variety of uses in the medical field.
As you can see, the inventive capacity of human beings is extraordinary and is not always focused on creating instruments and technologies to kill us more effectively; There are also materials created by man that seek to provide us with a better world, don’t you think?
We invite you to stay a little longer with us, reading about graphene, God’s material.
Images: Commons Wikimedia