chemistry

Plastic magnet

Plastic magnet 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 Plastic magnet rather than just read about it. In short: A plastic magnet is a non-metallic magnet made from an organic polymer. Plastic magnets could be used in computer hardware such as disc drives, as well as in medical devices such as pacemakers and cochlear implants, where the organic material is more likely to be biocompatible than its metallic counterparts.

Key takeaways

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

Reference excerpt

A plastic magnet is a non-metallic magnet made from an organic polymer. Plastic magnets could be used in computer hardware such as disc drives, as well as in medical devices such as pacemakers and cochlear implants, where the organic material is more likely to be biocompatible than its metallic counterparts.

Examples

PANiCNQ PANiCNQ is plastic magnet made of a combination of emeraldine-based polyaniline (PANi), and tetracyanoquinodimethane (TCNQ). It was created in 2004 at the University of Durham by Pakistan born scientist Naveed A. Zaidi and colleagues, and it was the first magnetic polymer to function at room temperature. PANi is a conductive polymer that is stable in air. When combined with the free radical-forming TCNQ as an acceptor molecule, it can mimic the mechanism of metallic magnets. The magnetic properties arise from the fully pi-conjugated nitrogen-containing backbone combined with molecular charge transfer side groups. These properties cause the molecule to have a high density of localized spins that can give rise to coupling of their magnetic fields. When this polymer magnet is synthesized, the polymer chains need 3 months to line up before displaying any notable magnetism.

Light-tunable magnet In February 2002, researchers from Ohio State University & University of Utah developed the world's first light-tunable plastic magnet. The plastic material became 1.5 times more magnetic when blue light was shined on it. Green laser light reversed the effect somewhat by decreasing the material's magnetism to 60 percent of its normal level. The plastic magnet was made from a polymer made of tetracyanoethylene (TCNE) combined with manganese (Mn) ions – atoms of the metal manganese with electrons removed. The magnet functioned up to a temperature of 75 K (−198 °C; −325 °F).

See also Molecular magnet (disambiguation)

References

Works cited Matthew Killeya (30 August 2004). "First practical plastic magnets created". New Scientist. Retrieved 2 April 2012. Dušan A. Pejaković; Chitoshi Kitamura; Joel S. Miller; Arthur J. Epstein (2002). "Photoinduced Magnetization in the Organic-Based Magnet Mn(TCNE)x•y(CH2Cl2)". Physical Review Letters. 88 (5) 057202. Bibcode:2002PhRvL..88e7202P. doi:10.1103/PhysRevLett.88.057202. PMID 11863772.

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Plastic magnet

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Plastic magnet 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 Plastic magnet 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 Plastic magnet 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 Plastic magnet

In research: Plastic magnet 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 Plastic magnet 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: Plastic magnet is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 2002 in science, 2004 in science, 21st-century inventions, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Plastic magnet 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 Plastic magnet in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Plastic magnet 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 Plastic magnet out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Plastic magnet in simple terms?

Why does Plastic magnet 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 Plastic magnet?

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 Plastic magnet.