Question

Identify a “multicomponent, soft material” that you find interesting, and would like to discover how it works.

To be acceptable, the material you choose must have a multicomponent formulation with non-trivial mechanical properties.

1.  Identify the product or material. You can be as specific as you like – Crest pro-health, Kirkland signature natural peanut butter, “Great Stuff” rodent- blocking foam, whatever.

2.  Identify the primary pupose of the product or material – what is it supposed to do, what problem is it solving for its user?

3.  Identify the mechanical aspects involved in the product’s function.  Must it be sprayable?  Must it pour? Spread?  Wet a particular material?  Must it cling to something?  Scrub?  Sit without flowing?    As best you can, connect these properties to the non-Newtonian flow phenomena we’ve discussed.

4.   What chemical tasks must the product perform?  Stability (how could it go unstable?) Clean a surface?  React with a substrate?  Absorb or dissolve a deposit?  Coat a surface? Deposit a substance?  Kill microbes?  Absorb something or release something?  Buffer against environmental changes?

5.  Does the material undergo any transformations during use?  (Phase transitions, does it harden, does it evaporate, …)

6.  Identify constraints on the specific product.  Must it be edible?  FDA- compliant for pharma space?  Toxicity? Environmental impact?  Cost and availability of ingredients?  These limit specific choices from the various classes of “building blocks” used to achieve the rheology, performance, etc.

Answer 1

1. The product is crest pro-health, it is one of the multicomponent soft material with non-trivial properties.

2. The primary purpose of crest pro-health toothpastes is it provide protection against cavaties, gingivities, tooth sensivity, tartar buildup and it freshens breath.

3. Crest pro-health tooth paste must be kept on brush and it must be used to clean teeth by scrubbing action. Toothpaste is a thixotropic fluid which comes under non-newtonian fluid that is its viscosity decreases with time at constant applied stress.

4. Crest pro-health tooth paste contains abrasive ingredients which removes or scrub away the plaque and cavities and polish teeth. So here it clean the surface of the teeth.

5. The Crest pro-health changes from solid (gel) to liquid phase and it should be spilled out.

6. It is not toxic, no environmental impact and cost of ingredients is not that much high and its rheology, performance is good for a given ingredient.