Lesson 6 of 6
Ceramics, polymers and composites
Goal: Link the properties of ceramics, polymers and composites to their uses.
Not every useful material is a metal. The properties of a material decide what it is used for.
Swipe to see three kinds of material.
Ceramics
Pottery, porcelain, brick and glass are ceramics.
They are hard, with very high melting points. They do not conduct electricity.
They are brittle: they break instead of bending.
Polymers
A polymer is made of very long molecules. Each one is a chain of thousands of small units.
Plastics such as poly(ethene) and PVC are polymers. So is rubber.
Most are light, flexible and easy to mould. They do not conduct electricity.
Composites
A composite is two or more materials combined.
It has some of the properties of each material in it.
Reinforced concrete, fibreglass (GRP) and MDF are composites.
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Key words in this lesson
Ceramic A hard, brittle material with a very high melting point
Polymer A material made of very long chain molecules
Composite A material made by combining two or more materials