New Materials

New Materials Silica Aerogel Alphamesh Dichrolam Carbon Fiber Litracon Temperature sensitive tiles Self healing concrete Superhydrophobic coating Magic glass Steel Velcro

By Esther Maganga

Silica Aerogel Aerogel is light

Aerogel is strong

Aerogel insulates

Oregon Museum of Science and Industry roof

• The worlds lightest solid material known to exist • 3 times heavier than air • Dry, porous, transparent, low-density solid material

• A 2.5 kg brick supported on top of a piece of aerogel weighing only 2 grams – over 1000 times lighter

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Used for transparent window insulation

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Keeps buildings warm

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40 times better insulation than fiber glass

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Let light through

Alphamesh Combination of individual rings that form a mesh

Swarovski Veil in Wattens, Austria

• New Material for architecture and interior design • Usually made from brass, aluminium or stainless steel • Versatile for indoor & outdoor use • Applications: formative facade elements, store construction, design of trade fair stands • Can be manufactured in optional dimension • Available in standard diameter of 7 mm or 12 mm • Flexible: can be bent, twisted, elongated, tensioned, braced or suspended • Non-renewable

Scale mesh

Dichrolam What is Dichrolam?

• Color changing architectural glass • Color shifts according to viewers angle • Type - laminated glass or plastic sheet Colors produced in:

Hard Rock Cafe – tempered Dichrolam red

Utrikespolitiska Institutet (Stockholm)

• Black sea – applied to annealed glass, tabletops, wall tiles, wall art panels and tempered glass • Caribbean – applied to opaque lamination • Holographic Sea - unique lamination • Crystal Sea - Translucent sheets with full color-shift.

Perfect for doors and semi-privacy panels like conference room dividers and restaurant partitions.

Carbon Fiber

Structure made of 24 twisted strands of pultruded and braided carbon fiber

Bath

• Super strong yet lightweight (5 times stronger than steel?)

• High stiffness, high tensile strength, high chemical resistance, high temperature tolerance, and low thermal expansion • Usually combine with other materials to form a composite e.g. carbon fibre reinforced plastic

Carbon fibre bus shelter

Carbon Fiber

C - Bench

Bathtub

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More expensive than glass fibres or plastic fibres

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Not easily recycled

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Also used in aerospace and automotive engineering

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Architects best friend

Litracon

• Light Transmitting Concrete • Translucent • A mixture of optical glass fibres and fine concrete Can be used for: Main entrance door of Museum Cella Septichora

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Interior or exterior walls Illuminating pavements design objects prefabricated blocks Panels Art

Properties: • • • • • •

Interior wall leading to bathroom

prefabricated blocks 96% concrete, 4% fibre Polished finish Max block size 1200 x 400 mm Thickness 25 – 500 mm Available in white, grey and black