Captain America’s star-cracked shield can stand up to the most powerful forces of the universe thanks to vibranium. This fictional, almost indestructible element absorbs and releases a vast amount of kinetic energy. It’s also like a real dream Materials Scientist.
“It’s an interesting piece of work because it covers almost every mechanical property you’re looking for.” Ricardo CastroA material scientist who currently teaches at Lehigh University in Pennsylvania says Popular science. “The shields are all so good that they are very appealing and exciting for materials scientists.”
Castro teaches a course called Engineering Superhero. This combines engineering lectures with physical demonstrations to reveal how materials can help empower superheroes. Their work is not as strong as the mighty Thor’s Hammer, but students take what they have learned to create their own hammers, battery packs, and even shields.
Credit: Ricardo Castro/Lehi University.
So, what kind of material will be included in the real world shields like Captain America uses? It’s a bit complicated, as you get to figure out the time travel to get all six infinity stones.
Faced with Thanos
Materials Atomic structure– How individual atoms are arranged – Get different properties like flexibility and stiffness. The strength of a metal is related to how the atoms slide with each other and the microstructure of the material itself.
“One metal is not necessarily stronger than another, because it usually depends on what you’re using this,” explains Castro. “Suppose Thanos has my shield and I’m compressing it. The need for the material to withstand compression is different from the need for the material to take the bullet.”
Materials made from Tungsten Curbine It can be rectified against compressive force. The atoms in this compound are packed so tightly that they cannot be separated and are highly resistant to pressure. In fact, it works with materials commonly found in the kitchen (ceramic mug). When porous materials such as ceramics are mixed with metals, new – and sometimes better mixed materials can be created.
“If you have ceramic materials coated with metal layers, you can actually get a little duality. We call these metal matrix composites. Here, there are metals and ceramic particles or structures distributed.” Castro says.
Deflect Hydra bullets
But the strength of a huge, powerful alien is not the only force the Avenger has to defeat. meanwhile Captain America: The First AvengerCaptain America’s shield is seen blocking bullets from guns in World War II. For this to work, the shield must withstand high-speed localized strikes. To deflect the bullet most, you have to look at how the metal is organized.
“All metals are organized into crystals, and the atoms that form these crystals gather together in a very predictable way,” explains Castro. “When you use metals, you have multiple crystals called grains.”
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The orientation of these crystals can affect the strength of the material. To withstand the rapid concentration of bullets, the shield can be made of copper tantalum alloy. Developed by the US Army,This alloy is nanocrystalline, and uses nanoscale forces similar to small crystals in the Kevlar bulletproof vest. Mix rare earth elements, copper and adaptable materials tantalumit has a high melting point and is very hard.
“You can think of it as honeycomb. Honey is copper and wax, and tantalum is an actual frame that can resist bullets,” says Castro. “So, what resists a bullet is basically that frame that can hold and stop the effect of that ball.”
Block fire
The Avengers are constantly facing explosions and flames, whether from a civil war or not. Captain America: The Civil War Or from the Alien Army Avengers: Endgame. To block fire, you need the best ingredients to stop the heat from flowing. This allows Steve Rogers and Sam Wilson to hold onto it for as long as possible without burning themselves.
Most metals are thermal conductors and can be heated much faster than other surfaces. Ceramic material with the desired air pocket helps balance this. Ceramics have very strong covalent bonds that cannot move freely; It’s more insulated.
“This is used in space technology. NASA uses ceramic as a protective coating that can withstand the heat of re-entry so that spacecraft does not explode,” says Castro. “Therefore, if you have these layers of ceramic materials and porous materials coated with metal layers, you can actually get a little duality. Composites make the best world of two materials into one Mix it.
[Related: How the burning heart of a jet engine functions without melting. ]
Stand up against Thor’s Hammer
For Castro, one of the most exciting aspects of Captain America’s Shield is the way it can bounce back and withstand dull forces. In the real world, throwing something at a wall won’t bring you back at exactly the same speed.
“It contradicts all the laws of physics,” laughs Castro.
However, there are some materials that work to work like this Shapes memory alloys. Nitonol is a Nickel Titanium Alloymix nickel and titanium to create a material with some degree of superplasticity.
“Superplasticity means that a material actually bounces off at a high level, then returns to its shape and returns without deforming,” explains Castro.
This plasticity helps the shield withstand the crushing force of Thor’s hammer.
“Beautiful Universe”
In the real world, developing better and more sustainable materials that can be scaled up is undoubtedly the biggest, but most exciting challenge. According to Castro, space, aviation and electric vehicle batteries are just a few areas that will benefit from the ongoing research into next-generation materials.
We will not immediately fight extraterrestrial troops (hopefully) but developing real new materials will safely send Artemis astronauts into space, protecting soldiers in their duties, and perhaps New York It helps to protect the city from Chitauri attacks. as needed.
“It’s a beautiful universe of materials,” says Castro.
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