Materialism: A Materials Science Podcast

The Space Shuttle Challengers Explosion rocked America to its core. Was this issue actually caused by engineering or was it a management mistake. Delve into the story of the Rogers Commission and their findings on Morton Thiokols Solid Rocket Boosters and O-Ring. Articles Discussed: 2006 Challenger: Reporting a Disaster's Cold, Hard Fact LINK 2019 Challenger: The shuttle disaster that changed NASA...

Imagine mounting a pair of cameras to watch your sample as it's deformed and recovering microscale information about the strain! That is exactly what digital image correlation has to offer. In this episode we describe the technique and chat with the inventor, Dr. Sutton from Correlated Solutions Inc. Learn all about the history from DaVinci to present! Articles Discussed: Textbook written by Dr. S...

Geopolymers are a unique class of materials that may offer a solution to environmental issues in the industrial sector including cement substitutes that produce only one-ninth of the CO2 as Portland cement. In this episode we talk about how they work and what, if anything, they have to do with the ancient pyramids. Articles Discussed: 2007 Khale and Chaudhary, Mechanism of geopolymerization and fa...

The sinking of the Titanic is one of the great catastrophes of the modern era. In this latest mini-series on failure of materials, we ask the question what really caused the sinking of the Titanic? Was it unavoidable? Was it ductile to brittle transition due to the cold ocean? Was it impurities in the rivets? Tune in and learn the materials science behind this titanic materials failure. Articles D...

After the popular 3D printing episode the gang dives into a conversation about what 3D printing can be used for. Ranging from Aerospace to organs to edible water bottles this technology is creeping its way into every facet of our life. Learn about the technology that makes this advanced kind of 3D printing possible from the powders that line the bed to the science behind the lasers. Articles Discu...

Take a dive into the history of fatigue crack growth with Jared and Taylor. Featuring the history of the equations and the applications they saw in the story of the DeHaviland Comet. Articles Discussed: 2001 Withey, FATIGUE FAILURE OF THE DE HAVILLAND COMET I [ LINK ] 2014 Glancey, The crashes that changed plane designs forever [ LINK ] FAA Accident Overview [ LINK ] 2002 Pushkar, Comet’s Tale [ L...

Taylor and Jared give a brief overview of current energy storage devices and the materials that makes them work. Then they dive into an interview with Joe Sleppy CEO of Capacitech to discuss what his company is doing to revolutionize supercapacitors and their form factor. Articles Discussed: 2021 Leif E. Asp, A Structural Battery and its Multifunctional Performance 2021 Nick Lavars, "Massless...

Join Jared, Ramsey, and Andrew in a new type of Micro for a more laidback conversation about the silicon chip shortage plaguing the global economy. Learn about the perfect storm of factors that's lead to car and tech companies around the world halting production. Articles Discussed: 2020 Stephen Nellis, Phoenix okays development deal with TSMC for $12 billion chip factory 2021 Debby Wu, Taiwan Cut...

We finally get to our most requested topic, 3D-printing! This is the first episode in a two part series on 3D printing. This will cover the science and engineering that makes the various methods possible. We also look into the interesting history of companies almost creating 3d printing only to be stopped by a lack of interest. Articles Discussed: 2021 Samir Jaber, Everything about 3d-printing the...

Taylor and Ramsey look into the future of refrigeration and how magnetocaloric materials will drive a more efficient system. How soon will you be replacing your fridge with these and what exactly makes them tick? Articles Discussed: 2020 E. Levin, Structural coupling and magnetic tuning in Mn2−xCoxP magnetocalorics for thermomagnetic power generation 2018 Alexander Funk, Getting magnetocaloric mat...

A look into Spark "Plasma" Sintering and why the name is a misnomer. Follow the history as it goes from Mayan jewelry making all the way to Dr. Sparks building one in his lab at the University of Utah. Finally, dive into its current applications and possibilities in the future. Articles Discussed: 2006 Z. A. Munir, The effect of electric field and pressure on the synthesis and consolidat...

Ramsey and Andrew take a look into the surprising science that helps make cooking as easy as can be. They explain the dangers that cooking with some of these materials can create and how to avoid it. Articles Discussed: 1993 Nese O. AK, Cutting Boards of Plastic and Wood Contaminated Experimentality with Bacteria 2005 Annett Milling, Survival of bacteria on wood and plastic particles: Dependence o...

The development of photography is inextricably linked to the development of advanced materials and chemicals. In this episode, Andrew and Jared discuss the science that makes photography possible. The episode includes everything from the structure of film, to digital sensors, to radioactive elements in glass. Articles Discussed: 2018 Schneider, Rare Earth Glass Leica Lenses: A Quick and Quirky Ove...

A review of the book "Scientific Freedom: The Elixir of Civilization" by Donald Braben. Taylor and Andrew dive into the radical ideas Braben implemented in his role as Director of Venture Research at BP. They examine the principles behind Venture Research and the potential for this approach to revolutionize scientific discovery by increasing freedom and creativity. Who knows? Maybe this...

Diffusion is when atoms move through a material in response to a concentration gradient. However, some ions can move through a material in response to an electric field and can do so very quickly! Even more remarkable, the motion of ions can be restricted to ions of a certain type such as O2-, H+, Na+, Li+ etc. What is required of a material in order for it to be an ionic conductor? What technolog...

Skateboards have some cutting edge polymers, ceramics, metals, & composites. Wood vs carbon-fiber composite lay-ups? Silicon nitride vs steel ball bearings? Titanium vs magnesium light-weight metal alloy trucks? High hardness vs soft & grippy urethane wheels? In this episode, we chat with Norman Woods, a professional skateboarder who helps us figure out if all the advanced materials transl...

Few topics have captivated the imagination of scientists like superconductivity. In this episode, we cover the history of superconductors starting with the Gentleman of Zero Kelvin himself. We discuss applications of superconductors for high-speed trains and more and even chat about the recent discovery of the first-ever room-temperature superconductor! Articles Discussed: 2007, April 1911: Onnes...

Every new startup requires capital, but most venture capital groups are very cautious about investing in materials companies due to the typically long timeframe for development. In this episode we talk to a Matt Cohen, Director of Technology at Pangaea Ventures. Matt talks about why their company dares to invest primarily in materials companies. We discuss how you can launch your own startup and r...

Halloween is right around the corner and like many of you, we’ve been hard at work on our spooky costumes! If you’ve ever been to Comic-Con you’ve seen the incredible costumes that cosplay artists can create. Giant suits of armor and weapons crafted out of EVA foam, Mandalorian suits with Worbla or Sintra armor plates, life-like silicone and latex masks, monsters built from Papier-mâché, Styrofoam...

When you hear of massive wildfires you probably think of the usual suspects: lightning, a campfire carelessly left unattended, maybe a cigarette butt thrown from a vehicle? What you probably don't think of is materials fatigue of a steel hook. This micro episode centers on the story of the Camp Fire in Butte County, California that took 85 lives, decimated the land, and was the biggest insured dis...

Can art make you a better scientist? Can an understanding of materials science make you a better artist? We think so! So does Darryl Butt, dean of the College of Mines at the University of Utah. We interview him for this episode and discuss tons of interesting aspects of materials science and art. For example, he explains how ancient artists like Da Vinci had an understanding of atmospheric light...

In our pursuit of materials design, who better to imitate than Mother Nature? Biomimetic, or bioinspired materials are making huge strides in materials design! In this episode, Andrew chats with Dr. Steven Naleway from the University of Utah to talk about his research in this exciting field. This episode is sponsored by Matmatch . Check out how they can help you find the perfect material for your...

Printing human organs? Replacing worn-out body parts with fresh, newly printed ones? This sounds like science fiction but in some ways, it's already here! From kidneys to bladders and even more complex organs the bizarre future of 3D-bioprinting is here! In this micro-materialism episode, we introduce a new producer, Ramsey Issa, to help separate fact from fiction when it comes to the materials sc...

We usually take modern rubber for granted, but in this episode, Jared and Andrew dive into the incredible history of this miracle material. They discuss the discovery of the vulcanization process by Charles Goodyear all the way through Ford's abandoned corporate towns in the jungle to the present. Articles Discussed: 2014 Kohjiya & Ikeda. Chemistry, manufacture and applications of natural rubb...

This episode covers a fascinating class of materials called auxetics. Experience tells us that when we pull a material in tension, it should shrink; auxetics do the opposite. By shifting, winding, or rotating, these materials get wider when stretched and thinner when compressed. Articles Discussed: Lakes R. Foam structures with a negative Poisson's ratio. [ LINK ] 2004 Evans, Auxetic polymers: a n...