Designing identity of a new material: a new product design approach

The present research is a design practice-based research based on the industrial development of a new concrete. The research focuses on the development of the specific identity of a new material. The research is aimed at demonstrating that product design can be used as a new strategy to create the material identity and thus to differentiate from existing materials. In order to design material specific identity in new products, we need to understand the perception process of shaped materials. Therefore we conducted exploratory study of materials recognition in products. We identified two types of products: the “messenger” products are specific shapes characteristic from the material; the “wrong messenger” products are imitations of other well known materials. The results of questionnaire about material recognition show that it’s more or less easy to identify material according to each product (whether it’s familiar or new shapes; whether it’s imitation or specific shapes and whether it’s well known or new material). We conclude on two types of shapes: on the one hand some familiar and typical shapes make easier and more certain the material recognition; on the other hand some new shapes make people more uncertain of what it is made of but more amazed. Designing amazing new shapes can be used as a new differentiation strategy to create the specific sensory identity of each new material. It means that the product can be a really useful support to fully communicate about a new material, beyond the traditional material samples. Keywords: New Material; Sensory Identity; Product Design</p

Automated computation of materials properties

Materials informatics offers a promising pathway towards rational materials design, replacing the current trial-and-error approach and accelerating the development of new functional materials. Through the use of sophisticated data analysis techniques, underlying property trends can be identified, facilitating the formulation of new design rules. Such methods require large sets of consistently generated, programmatically accessible materials data. Computational materials design frameworks using standardized parameter sets are the ideal tools for producing such data. This work reviews the state-of-the-art in computational materials design, with a focus on these automated $\textit{ab-initio}$ frameworks. Features such as structural prototyping and automated error correction that enable rapid generation of large datasets are discussed, and the way in which integrated workflows can simplify the calculation of complex properties, such as thermal conductivity and mechanical stability, is demonstrated. The organization of large datasets composed of $\textit{ab-initio}$ calculations, and the tools that render them programmatically accessible for use in statistical learning applications, are also described. Finally, recent advances in leveraging existing data to predict novel functional materials, such as entropy stabilized ceramics, bulk metallic glasses, thermoelectrics, superalloys, and magnets, are surveyed.Comment: 25 pages, 7 figures, chapter in a boo

Molecular catalysis for precise olefin polymerization and ROP 2015

The growth of emerging markets, particularly in the Far East, has fuelled the demand for new plastic materials. This in turn has stimulated both academic and industrial interest in the design of catalyst systems for which new Intellectual Property (IP) can be generated, and in new polymeric materials possessing desirable properties such as biodegradabilit

Materials chemistry: design and synthesis of luminescent and biologically active materials

The need to synthesise new materials is driven by the need for materials with specific properties. Those properties are determined by the final application. In this talk we will explore the design of materials which are used in Luminescent and Anti-microbial applications. From the materials perspective we will focus on inorganic–organic hybrid materials, metal phosphonates and metal oxides, and discuss how we can make such materials. We will consider how the choice of metal changes the luminescent response and how materials can be constructed by design at the atomic level. considering antimicrobial materials we will discuss how structure influences the release of active species and can result in materials which are therapeutic but not toxic.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech

A New Materials and Design Approach for Roads, Bridges, Pavement, and Concrete

Increased understanding of demand for transport energy and how to improve road pavement materials would enable decision makers to make environmental, financial, and other positive changes in future planning and design of roads, bridges, and other important transportation structures. This research comprises three studies focused on pavement materials and a fourth study that examines energy demand within the road transportation sector. These studies are as follows: 1. A techno-economic study of ground tire rubber as an asphalt modifier; 2. A computational fluid dynamics analysis comparing the urban heat island effect of two different pavement materials – asphalt and Portland Cement Concrete; 3. A new approach that modifies the surface of ground tire rubber using low-cost chemicals and treatment methods to be used in asphalt applications; and 4. Analysis of road transport energy demand in California and the United States. The findings of these studies include that 1. GTR is an effective and economically suitable additive for modified asphalt, 2. the suitability of PCC pavements in urban settings should be reexamined, 3. Surface modification of GTR materials can improve compatibilization of particles for the manufacture of asphalt materials, and 4. gasoline sales are generally price inelastic in both the U.S. and California. Ultimately, these four studies improve understanding of road pavement materials and transport energy demand. They lay out important information about the future of the relationship between materials and design in the transportation industry. These findings may be used by engineers, policymakers, and others in the industry to better consider implications of decisions involved in design, creation, and modification of structures using pavement and concrete, including roads, bridges, etc

Material Matters: New Materials in Design

'Material Matters: New Materials in Design' discusses the vast range of materials that are available to us today, and highlights the advances predicted to prove seminal in the future