This article was taken from the February 2013 issue of Wired magazine. Be the first to read Wired's articles in print before they're posted online, and get your hands on loads of additional content by <span class="s1">subscribing online.
Want a pair of trainers woven from stainless steel? Material ConneXion, a consultancy in New York, helps companies such as Nike, BMW, Puma and Ikea find substances with special properties for its new products. Catalogued by composition in its ten libraries around the world are 7,000 extraordinary materials. But which of them make the cut? "The only condition is that it has to be innovative -- it has to significantly advance what any material we already have can do," says Andrew Dent, the company's vice president. Here he curates a selection of exciting new wares for Wired. Head to the gallery to see each material in full.
Dyecoo This Dutch company invented a water-free process for dyeing fabrics. It uses super-critical carbon dioxide, a form of the gas that has liquid properties when compressed in a 9m-tall chamber. When you put a bolt of fabric in, dye pigments permanently colour the entire fabric, saving 25,000 litres of water for every 150kg textile bolt. Nike has already agreed to make materials using this method.
Spectral
This material is a two-sided iridescent PVC sheet made of three laminated layers of film: thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU), 3M radiant film and reflective TPU. The textile is translucent, but because of the layers of spectral film, it can also reflect colours such as red, orange, magenta or blue from a nearby light source. It can be used for light displays, footwear, clothing and accessories.
EcosheetAll of the construction materials UK-based Ecosheet uses are made entirely from recycled plastic. Low- and high-melting-point polymers are bonded together to create a 2.4m x 1.2m panel that is lightweight, strong and water-resistant. It can be welded, cut and even nailed like wood, and is used in construction, furniture and marine work. "What's important is that it's made from what consumers discard," says Dent.
Popper
This water-resistant, plastic-coated fabric is 98 percent polyurethane with a cholesterol-based coating that changes colour with temperature. "It's like waterproof leather," says Dent. "You could make a bag or coat with it." Between 18 degrees Celsius and 30 degrees Celsius, Popper's coating is brown; below 18 degrees Celsius it turns dark olive, and above 30 degrees Celsius it turns transparent, so the base colour emerges -- in the case of our photograph, lime green.
Versailles These ceramic wall tiles have been electroplated with gold and silver, and glazed to prevent scratches. They have a scratch-hardness rating of seven out of ten on the Mohs scale, meaning they are as scratch-resistant as quartz. "Metallising fired ceramics is hard to achieve with this degree of quality," Dent says. The bubble-patterned tiles come in three varieties: gold, silver, or black and white.
Pure-Ti
Pure-Ti is a spray paint that makes surfaces clean themselves.
It's made of chemically altered titanium dioxide, loaded into a liquid spray form. "Titanium dioxide has a property where it breaks down and sloughs off dust, bacteria and organic matter when exposed to ambient light such as sunshine," says Dent. It is currently being applied in urban environments such as hospitals to improve air quality.
This article was originally published by WIRED UK
