Materials library: Exploring the tactile pleasures of materials

Abstract

Any self-respecting materials professional knows aluminum nitrate has a high thermal heat capacity. But how many have used it to cut ice? And it may be common knowledge—in materials circles, at least—that gallium has a low melting temperature (29.76°C). But how many people have watched the shiny metal melt in the palm of a human hand? Far too few, in Mark Miodownik’s opinion. Miodownik, a lecturer in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at King’s College in London, believes the profession and the public in general are missing out on the tactile pleasures of materials. “It’s kind of weird that materials science departments are almost empty of the materials we study,” he said. “What does that say about us as a community? We are becoming more and more theoretical; we are losing touch with the more physical side of what we do.” To bring the materials back into materials science, Miodownik has gathered nearly 300 items, some everyday materials, some exotic, in what has become the King’s College materials library. Among the objects in his collection are thermochromic paper, spray-on felt, super-elastic glass frames, shape memory alloys, aerogel (Figure 1), silicon single-crystal lead, and, of course, gallium. Miodownik believes the mix of materials provides sensory experiences that are common among all humans, even those who are not involved in science. The library, he said, offers a common ground—“the physical language of materials.” In April, the appreciation of that language was evident when Miodownik exhibited his collection at Tate Modern, a national Materials Library: Exploring the Tactile Pleasures of Materials