chemistry

Metal rubber

Metal rubber is a chemistry topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Metal rubber rather than just read about it. In short: Metal rubber is a broad, informal name for several conductive plastic polymers with metal ions produced by NanoSonic Inc. in cooperation with Virginia Tech. This self-assembling nanocomposite is flexible and durable to high and low pressures, temperatures, tensions, and most chemical reactions, and retains all of its physical and chemical properties upon being returned to a ground state.

Key takeaways

Metal rubber belongs to chemistry; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Metal rubber to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Metal rubber from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Metal rubber is a broad, informal name for several conductive plastic polymers with metal ions produced by NanoSonic Inc. in cooperation with Virginia Tech. This self-assembling nanocomposite is flexible and durable to high and low pressures, temperatures, tensions, and most chemical reactions, and retains all of its physical and chemical properties upon being returned to a ground state. NanoSonic’s Metal rubber™ is an electrically conductive and flexible elastomer. It can be mechanically strained to greater than 1000% of its original dimensions while remaining electrically conductive. As Metal rubber can carry data and electrical power and is environmentally rugged, it can be used as a flexible and stretchable electrical conductor in the aerospace/defense, electronics, and bioengineering markets.

Properties Metal rubber needs to contain around 1% metal ions to maintain its conductive properties, allowing the material to retain an elastic quality as well as keeping the heavy metal component low. Metal rubber has a strain of 300% although the sheet itself can be mechanically strained to greater than 1000% of its original dimensions. The elastic modulus is 0.01 GPa and the service resistivity per square sheet is .1–100 ohms. The maximum service temperature is 170 degrees Celsius (338 degrees Fahrenheit), while the minimum service temperature is –60 degrees Celsius (–76 degrees Fahrenheit). It carries an electrical charge that can be used to transport power and data. It is typical of an elastomer to be an insulator but Metal rubber is highly conductive like metals.

Applications Metal rubber is made through a modified molecular-level self-assembly production process using precursors which NanoSonic produces in-house. Materials are manufactured in a variety of sizes and geometries. The possible uses of such a product include body armor, durable electronic sensors, various aerospace-building materials, and alternate commercial building materials. Several industries have unique needs that are met by Metal rubber's characteristics. 1. Aerospace/Defense

Robust under harsh conditions (high and low temperature/pressure). 2. Electronics

Stretchable electrical conductors/sensors. 3. Bioengineering Markets

Flexible with no corrosion. Useful for joint replacement instead of heavy metal implants. The thicker dimensions of the Metal rubber can be used for artificial muscles because of the flexibility and conductive properties for bio-electrical signals.

Current products NanoSonic currently offers a variety of products that incorporates Metal rubber's unique properties. 1. Metal rubber Cables

This product can be used to replace heavy metal power and data cables as well as make conductive fabrics and CNTs. Also used in lightweight EMI shielding and can be used as an elastomer cover for hoses and tubing. 2. Metal rubber Shielding

Based on nanostructured Metal rubber and carbon nanotubes, it is lightweight, environmentally durable and allows radio wave frequency selection and broadband connection. 3. Metal rubber Sensors

Allows for shear force and pressure sensors in addition to water and wind tunnel analysis at moderate/high air pressure.

External links Science Central – Metal rubber video, 2004-Sep-14 Science Daily's report on Metal rubber NanoSonic's website Video of Electrostatic Self-Assembly Process Animation

References

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Metal rubber

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Metal rubber claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In chemistry, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Metal rubber before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Metal rubber ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Metal rubber

In research: Metal rubber appears in chemistry research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Metal rubber in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Metal rubber is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Conductive polymers, Virginia Tech, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Metal rubber outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Metal rubber in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Metal rubber means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Metal rubber out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Metal rubber in simple terms?

Why does Metal rubber matter?

Because it connects several chemistry ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Metal rubber?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Metal rubber.