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About the New Materials Zone

Materials are all around us, each made up of different combinations of atoms. Atoms are the building blocks of materials, and by joining different atoms together we get every kind of material. New materials are cleverly designed substances based on recent technology, to make things like materials that can be worn to monitor your heartbeat and record unusual symptoms, or chewing gum containing finely powdered glass that can help to protect teeth and gums from decay.

In this zone there is a scientist designing a battery less than 1mm small, one trying to make new materials as thin as possible and one creating tiny nano-particles which could help to cure cancer. There is also a scientist making tins of tartan paint with chemicals that can pattern themselves, and someone using computers to simulate experiments and create new materials that can help solve the energy crisis.

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