Stuff Matters
Exploring the Marvelous Materials That Shape Our Man-Made World
by Mark Miodownik
Completed: August 23, 2021- Tech
- 272 pages
- ISBN: 9780544236042
- Goodreads page
This is a neat little book discussing various materials - concrete, steel, glass, etc. It is written by a materials scientist and, while not particularly technical, it does delve into some of the technical bases of these materials and the methods of production as opposed to purely a book about history and the characters involved as is often the case with a pop book.
Some of the chapters are particularly great - the ones on concrete, steel, glass, graphite, porcelain. Some are quite weak - the ones on paper or plastic (unfortunately). While others are ok but not great - the ones on chocolate, foam, implants.
Because of the hit and miss nature of many of the chapters, this really should be a 4 star book but because there are still so many interesting parts in the book & I think at least a basic understanding of most of the materials is necessary, I’ve given it the highest rating.
Some excerpts:
On metals and alloys:
Alloys tend to be stronger than pure metals for one very simple reason: the alloy atoms have a different size and chemistry from the host metal’s atoms, so when they sit inside the host crystal they cause all sorts of mechanical and electrical disturbances that add up to one crucial thing: they make it more difficult for dislocations to move. And if dislocations find it difficult to move, then the metal is stronger, since it’s harder for the metal crystals to change shape. Alloy design is thus the art of preventing the movement of dislocations.
On what makes steel special:
Steel, the alloy of iron and carbon, is even stronger than bronze…. The carbon in steel doesn’t take the place of an iron atom in the crystal, but is able to squeeze in between the iron atoms, creating a stretched crystal…. Carbon doesn’t do this to copper during smelting, nor to tin or bronze, but it does to iron.
On self-healing concretes:
…one particular type [of bacteria] called B. pasteurii [found in the bottom of highly alkaline lakes formed by volcanic activity] could excrete the mineral calcite, a constituent of concrete.
Self-healing concrete has these bacteria embedded inside it along with a form of starch, which acts as food for the bacteria. Under normal circumstances these bacteria remain dormant, encased by the calcium silicate hydrate fibrils. But if a crack forms, the bacteria are released from their bonds, and in the presence of water they wake up and start to look around for food. They find the starch that has been added to the concrete, and this allows them to grow and replicate. In the process they excrete calcite, a form of calcium carbonate. This calcite bonds to the concrete and stars to build up a mineral structure that spans the crack, stopping further growth of the crack and sealing it up.
On self-cleaning concrete:
…self-cleaning concrete…contains titanium dioxide particles. These sit on the [concrete] surface but are microscopic and transparent, so it looks no different. However, when they absorb UV light from the sun, the particles create free radical ions, which break down any organic dirt that comes into contact with them. The remains are washed away by the rain or blown away by the wind. A church in Rome called Dives in Misericordia has been constructed with such self-cleaning concrete.
All book cover images are from Goodreads unless specified otherwise.