Challenge of Materials

 

On Display

Shot green/purple tantalum bangle, 1976.

Tantalum was first isolated pure in 1903 by the German scientist Werner von Bolton. From its initial limited use as lamp filaments, tantalum is now an important metal. It has a high melting point, excellent corrosion resistance and is easy to work. A

 
Opal and green/purple tantalum earrings, 1976.

From its initial limited use as lamp filaments, tantalum is now an important metal. It has a high melting point, excellent corrosion resistance and is easy to work. As a result tantalum is used in chemical equipment where heat has to be transferred u

 
Block of raw leaf gutta percha, 1942-1945.

Mottled brown rectangular block of Raw Leaf Gutta Percha, manufactured on Telcon Plastics Ltd.'s plantation in Malaya during the Japanese occupation, 1942-1945.

 
Pomander, possibly Tunisian, 1904.

Silver pomander, disc shaped, with loop for suspension, decorated with intricate filigree open work, marked

 
Silicon nitride turbo-rotor, 1996.

The term ceramic, in its modern context, covers an extremely broad range of inorganic materials. They contain non-metallic and metallic elements and are produced by a wide variety of manufacturing techniques. They include pottery, refractories, cemen

 
Hydrogen-powered scooter
 
Pewter bleeding bowl, 18th or 19th century.

Pewter porringer or bleeding bowl, graduated

 
Bakelite pin tray, 1950.

Bakelite pin tray with hinged lid in the company's trefoil shape, c. 1950

 
Three spools of polyethylene terephthalate filaments, 1943-1944.

Three spools of polyethylene terephthalate filaments produced at the Chemical Research Laboratory, Teddington (D.S.I.R) in 1943-44

 
Rotor blades, 1995.

The ability to withstand high temperatures without melting or corroding and to retain strength at those temperatures is crucially important in certain situations. Nickel has proved to be a remarkable base metal for high- temperature alloys and is cap