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In this teaching module, students will be introduced to the preparation and characterization of a metal (tin), a plastic (polyester), and a ceramic (anchor (very fine) cement). They will first prepare the samples by either heating and melting the raw material, in the case of tin, or by a chemical curing process for the polyester resin and anchor cement. After the preparation of the test samples, the students will examine their optical and physical characteristics, determine their relative electrical and thermal properties and investigate their mechanical behavior and chemical stability.

Developed by the Materials Science team in collaboration with the Institute for Chemical Education (ICE), the Exploration of Materials Science kit is now available for purchase through ICE.