CatarinaTalk

• Conductive paint
  • wire glue is cheap, but takes a long time to cure (8-12 hours) and isn't conductive until it's cured.
    • She uses super glue to protect the wire glue after it's cured.
  • nickel print
  • She doesn't use resistors with conductive paint because it's highly resistive.

• Magnetic paint - she makes it herself.

• UV reactive thread and beads
  • Solar Active thread
  • UV reactive beads

• Temperature reactive material
  • fabric, pigment, and paint
  • You can get the pigment from http://www.paintwithpearl.com/

• Thermo chromic film
  • picture of wall paper with thermo chromic film flowers

• Mylar
  • not a "smart" material, but still a cool material
  • you get it from the inside of potato chip bags

• (an aside)Copper tape is very useful. She uses it a lot.

• moldable materials
  • polymorph (or polycaprolactone) is plastic that melts in hot water, can be molded, and then is hard nylon once it cools
    • can be melted any number of times
  • sugru a playdoh that cures at room temperature
  • mold making putty cures in 10 minutes and then can take high temperatures

• Quantum Tunneling Composite
  • smart flexible polymer (rubber-like)
  • near perfect electrical insulator
  • 4mm square and 1.5mm thick can pass 10 amps when squeezed
  • conductivity affected by pressure
  • also magnetic
  • currently not being made due to patent issues
  • but you can get it in pill form currently
  • used to be able to get in fabric form
  • Peratech

• Endlighten
  • edge diffusing material
  • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=evGALmP4F8s
  • price depends on size and goes up with bigger sheet because you need a higher grade plastic

• Conductive plastics
  • plastics with metal particles (graphite)
    • comes in sheets
  • stretch sensors with metal in stretchable plastic
    • resistance decreases with stretch
  • conductive polyester rope
    • resistance increases with stretch because the fibers align
  • conductive acetate
    • thin and clear with a film of metal a few atoms thick
    • http://www.lessemf.com/

• Shape memory polymers
  • you expose it to high heat and then shape it
  • after it cools down, you can unshape it, then heat it up slightly and it will return to it's shaped form

• EL wire
  • 1.2mm (angel hair) to 6mm (outdoor grade) thick wire with a phosphorous material in it
  • comes in sheets
  • can make your own sheets with conductive sheeting and phosphorous paint
  • requires an inverter to step up the voltage and has a danger of shock
  • Sewable EL inverter made by Ben Zatlin???

• Conductive fabrics
  • copper tafita
  • metal iron ons (nickel)
    • very durable
    • nickel lasts longer than the copper
  • fabric that has insulators on one side
  • anti-static material that is pressure sensitive
    • put in between two conductive fabrics
  • conductive lycra
    • resistance decreases if stretched in one direction, resistance increases if stretched in the other direction
  • conductive tape
    • metal traces on fabric that is solderable
  • All found at http://www.lessemf.com/

• Conductive food
  • candy coated in silver or gold
  • pumpkins as capacitive sensors
  • resistor jelTone http://www.flickr.com/photos/ranjit/5879592536/