Abstract
Life in the twenty-first century is ever-dependent on an unlimited variety of advanced materials. In our consumptive world, it is easy to take for granted the macro-, micro-, and nanoscale building blocks that comprise any item ever produced. We are spoiled by the technology that adds convenience to our lives such as microwave ovens, laptop computers, cell phones and tablets, and improved modes of transportation. However, we rarely take time to think about and appreciate the materials that constitute these modern engineering feats.
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Notes
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A recent revival of vinyl record sales has occurred among audiophiles, who claim that sound quality from this medium is superior to CD, MP3, or tape formats in terms of crispness and clarity.
- 2.
For a review of alchemy, see: http://www.levity.com/alchemy/index.html
- 3.
Balata golf ball covers may be fabricated from sap extracts of balata/bully trees in South America to produce a thin, resilient material. It is worth mentioning that balata-based materials are now produced artificially.
- 4.
Open-access journals charge authors a fee to publish their peer-reviewed articles, which may then be accessed for free. In contrast, traditional journals do not charge authors, but the peer-reviewed papers are only available to those who pay an annual subscription fee.
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- 6.
The unit ‘kgCO2e’ (kg of equivalent CO2) refers to the relative emissions of greenhouse gases (carbon dioxide, methane (CH4), and/or nitrous oxide (N2O)) per unit of fuel that is consumed.
- 7.
The units MJ refer to megajoules, which is 1 × 106 joules. A joule is the standard unit of energy and corresponds to the energy required to lift a small apple (with a mass of 100 g) vertically through 1 m of air. A megajoule (MJ) corresponds to the kinetic energy of a one-tonne (1000 kg) vehicle moving at 100 mph (160 km/h).
- 8.
For gasoline vehicles, engine losses (radiator, exhaust heat, combustion, friction), power loss to wheels (wind resistance, rolling resistance, braking), drivetrain losses, and parasitic losses (water pump, alternator, etc.) account for 70–86% of the energy supplied by the gasoline. In comparison, electric vehicles only suffer from electric drive system losses, power to wheels, and energy lost in charging the battery. The use of regenerative braking and start/stop technologies reduces the power-to-wheel losses by up to 17%. See http://fueleconomy.gov for more details.
- 9.
Dewulf, J.; Van der Vorst, G.; Denturck, K.; Van Langenhove, H.; Ghyoot, W.; Tytgat, J.; Vandeputte, K. Resources, Conservation and Recycling 2010, 54, 229.
- 10.
Ellingsen, L. A-W.; Singh, B.; Stromman, A. H. Environ. Res. Lett. 2016, 11, 054010.
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Fahlman, B.D. (2018). What Is “Materials Chemistry”?. In: Materials Chemistry. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-024-1255-0_1
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