9.2 Soft Materials in the Twenty-First Century
175
is among matters, a matter of use [9, 33]. This is exactly like the information, which
is defined as a useful fact [9], and ‘soft matters’ may include ‘softwares.’
In the future, historians may possibly note that the Iron Age begins to be replaced
by the Age of Soft Matters early in the twenty-first century. History of human beings
has been divided by what materials they are using so far. Needless to say, not only
soft materials like rubber but also IT would play an important role this time, since
a software is crucial for IT development. In other words, the contribution of both a
soft material and a software is indispensable for the coming historical transition.
Soft materials in this century are to be mentioned next. Steel radial tires, a pneumatic rubber tire using steel cords, have already history as the tire of the highest
performance using natural rubber (NR). In the plastics arena, carbon fiber reinforced
plastics (CFRP) are now establishing as a high performance FRP for general purposes,
together with a few cases as a substitute of metal. CFRP is now a good candidate for
automobile body materials. However, a serious global issue has been to be dissolved
for long now. That is, the global warming due to the greenhouse effect has an urgent
global negative influence on us [34–36]. On the one hand, carbon dioxide is regarded
to be the main greenhouse gas among several gases contributing to the effect, and
recently decarbonization (less use of carbon compounds) trend is gaining momentum
[37–40].
On the other hand, graphene and carbon nanotube (CNT) are recently highlighted,
as a reinforcing filler of rubber. The two are among carbon allotropes together with CB
and diamond. In spite of the unfavorable ‘decarbonization’ trend to the utilization of
carbon allotropes, their utilization as a reinforcing filler to rubbers and plastics would
become more active together with their uses as some highly functional materials. On
the contribution of carbon dioxide to the warming by the greenhouse effect, how to
minimize the emission and even how to decarbonize CO 2 is actively researched. To
accelerate, such efforts are mandatory for the use of these carbon allotropes [38–40].
Before the full-scale development of polymeric materials, colloids were focused
much between late in the nineteenth century and early in the twentieth century. The
dimension of colloids is just in-between an atomic or molecular size and a visible
body size, which by chance overlaps with that of macromolecules. In those days, the
colloid attracted much attention from physical science arena, since the dimension had
been known as ‘the lost dimension.’ Majority of colloidal substances were identified
to be the aggregate of molecules or fine particles [41]. In a sense, nanofiller aggregates
described in Part 2 are at a kind of colloidal states. Colloid as an aggregate by
coordination bonds was correct, but its influence on polymers was unhappy from the
polymer science point of view [42]. The opinion that a macromolecule was covalently
bonded, and hence even a single macromolecule was able to display a colloidal state,
was much negatively reacted, because most colloids were an aggregate. It was as late
as in the 1930s, when the macromolecule as the covalently bonded single molecule
was widely accepted [9]. Even after the independence of polymers, colloid science
has maintained its position: One of the main topics, microemulsion has been much
highlighted even now, in the colloid and polymer science arena in general [43].
In the rubber arena, NR latex is a colloid. Latex is produced in the trees, in general,
and that from Hevea brasiliensis was found to contain much more rubber particles
175
is among matters, a matter of use [9, 33]. This is exactly like the information, which
is defined as a useful fact [9], and ‘soft matters’ may include ‘softwares.’
In the future, historians may possibly note that the Iron Age begins to be replaced
by the Age of Soft Matters early in the twenty-first century. History of human beings
has been divided by what materials they are using so far. Needless to say, not only
soft materials like rubber but also IT would play an important role this time, since
a software is crucial for IT development. In other words, the contribution of both a
soft material and a software is indispensable for the coming historical transition.
Soft materials in this century are to be mentioned next. Steel radial tires, a pneumatic rubber tire using steel cords, have already history as the tire of the highest
performance using natural rubber (NR). In the plastics arena, carbon fiber reinforced
plastics (CFRP) are now establishing as a high performance FRP for general purposes,
together with a few cases as a substitute of metal. CFRP is now a good candidate for
automobile body materials. However, a serious global issue has been to be dissolved
for long now. That is, the global warming due to the greenhouse effect has an urgent
global negative influence on us [34–36]. On the one hand, carbon dioxide is regarded
to be the main greenhouse gas among several gases contributing to the effect, and
recently decarbonization (less use of carbon compounds) trend is gaining momentum
[37–40].
On the other hand, graphene and carbon nanotube (CNT) are recently highlighted,
as a reinforcing filler of rubber. The two are among carbon allotropes together with CB
and diamond. In spite of the unfavorable ‘decarbonization’ trend to the utilization of
carbon allotropes, their utilization as a reinforcing filler to rubbers and plastics would
become more active together with their uses as some highly functional materials. On
the contribution of carbon dioxide to the warming by the greenhouse effect, how to
minimize the emission and even how to decarbonize CO 2 is actively researched. To
accelerate, such efforts are mandatory for the use of these carbon allotropes [38–40].
Before the full-scale development of polymeric materials, colloids were focused
much between late in the nineteenth century and early in the twentieth century. The
dimension of colloids is just in-between an atomic or molecular size and a visible
body size, which by chance overlaps with that of macromolecules. In those days, the
colloid attracted much attention from physical science arena, since the dimension had
been known as ‘the lost dimension.’ Majority of colloidal substances were identified
to be the aggregate of molecules or fine particles [41]. In a sense, nanofiller aggregates
described in Part 2 are at a kind of colloidal states. Colloid as an aggregate by
coordination bonds was correct, but its influence on polymers was unhappy from the
polymer science point of view [42]. The opinion that a macromolecule was covalently
bonded, and hence even a single macromolecule was able to display a colloidal state,
was much negatively reacted, because most colloids were an aggregate. It was as late
as in the 1930s, when the macromolecule as the covalently bonded single molecule
was widely accepted [9]. Even after the independence of polymers, colloid science
has maintained its position: One of the main topics, microemulsion has been much
highlighted even now, in the colloid and polymer science arena in general [43].
In the rubber arena, NR latex is a colloid. Latex is produced in the trees, in general,
and that from Hevea brasiliensis was found to contain much more rubber particles