Plastic
Mark Miodownik shows how plastics have brought luxury to the masses and reveals how the next generation will take its inspiration from nature and could help rebuild the human body.
Professor Mark Miodownik tells the story of plastics - created in the lab, they have brought luxury to the masses and shaped the modern age. He recounts tales of the mavericks responsible for some of plastic's most outrageous failures and heady successes, from the explosive attempts to make a replacement for ivory billiard balls to the ultimately ubiquitous Bakelite.
Investigating at atomic level, Mark discovers the extraordinary properties that have allowed plastics to dominate our world and reveals how the next generation of plastics will take its inspiration from nature, creating man-made materials which behave as though they are alive and which could help rebuild the human body.
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Clips
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The material that can repair itself
Duration: 02:01
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Graphene
Duration: 04:11
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Sticky tape inspired by beetles
Duration: 01:12
Credits
Role | Contributor |
---|---|
Presenter | Mark Miodownik |
Executive Producer | Helen Thomas |
Series Producer | Jacqueline Smith |
Broadcasts
- Mon 9 Apr 2012 21:00Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ HD & Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Four
- Tue 10 Apr 2012 02:30
- Thu 12 Apr 2012 22:00
- Mon 10 Sep 2012 19:30
- Mon 19 Aug 2013 20:00
- Tue 20 Aug 2013 01:30
- Mon 16 Nov 2015 02:00
- Mon 23 Jan 2017 23:00
- Wed 23 Aug 2017 23:00
- Tue 15 May 2018 02:15
- Wed 22 May 2019 00:00