Materials Science

Innovation Education Creating Opportunity

(Champions' Club / Site Map / YouTube)

...

## Sci-Tech of the 2100s

...

The technology and designs portrayed in the Martian Century setting are speculative but are not fantasy. In reality, we in the early 2000s are slowly entering an era of engineered "metamaterials" and structures optimized beyond the performance of simple alloys and compounds we are familiar with. A recent example is a metal ceramic composite "proteus" https://www.intelligentliving.co/proteus-non-cuttable-material. In the setting this does not qualify as "nanotechnology" despite being engineered with a knowledge of the nanoscale behavior of the material. By the early 2100s humanity has truly entered an age of bio-nano, materials and processes engineered with some of the evolved refinements we've learned from biology. Proteus was literally "inspired by the hard, fracture-resistant aragonite shells of mollusks and the tight, cellular skin of a grapefruit" but is just a beginning.

...

**Bio-nano and Quasi-nano:** Early nanotechnology https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Molecular\_nanotechnology, does exist in the 2100s in the form of various goops and liquids. It is usually in a liquid phase because it requires chemistry happening in solution to work. It generally isn't airborne though "spores" and various micromachine "gnats" can transport it around. Much like 3D printing (additive manufacturing), nanotech at this level isn't a panacea. It produces significant waste heat, so it must have a heat sink or proceed quite slowly as the chemistry is usually temperature sensitive. One isn't going to be able to materialize a cup of earl grey tea from a wall nook in a few seconds, because the waste heat from individually moving all those molecules around, controlling it all, etc. would be hot... so hot the room might be unsafe for the captain who wants a tea. Making tea, rolling out an alloy girder, or weaving shield fabric for a ship hull is all still done with large machines at factories. They will have stages of manufacturing that rely on various nanotech, to purify, surface treat, or even take part in the nano-weaving of fibres by keeping tiny extruder-pores in a nano-loom flowing properly - but the nanotech itself is usually part of a macroscopic process. We know this sort of technology is possible, it is more or less a matter of R&D.

...

Military and top performing components are a different story in terms of economics. In the 2010s there are exotic processes used to extend the life of military airframes, specialized military components are manufactured at great expense with classified tech. So in the 2100s it is worth letting that reactor shield soak in the latest nano-tank for a month because it ends up half the mass blocking three times the radiation... vital in a military spacecraft where every gram still counts. Engineered materials also last longer and by the 2130s some truly self-healing. A steel truss in the 2100s would be identifiable to the engineer of a century past, yet it could have remarkable properties and enhanced performance considered improbable in a previous era... or it might be a high quality steel truss of familiar "classic" composition produced with astounding speed, precision, quality and at incredibly low cost.

...

**Defense-nano:** Mixed in with all the lubricants cleaners, filtration units, paints and other fluids on a military or secure corporate vessel there are various types of defensive bio-nano, field emitters, deep UV lighting and catalysts to destroy biological, chemical and nanotech agents that should not be present. Though this all needs maintenance and active monitoring by security it isn't integral to the other structures or materials. Without defense-nano other systems will function but aren't defended against hostile nano.

...

**Self-Cleaning Materials:** In some applications self-cleaning materials are so common as to not merit a term. Many materials of the mid-to-late twenty firstcentury, let alone the 2100s, already shed water when it should or killed bacteria via engineered coatings to remain sterile, etc. This trend just kept ramping up over the years, but there is still cleaning to do in unexpected situations. With battle damage, to decontaminate something or if a particularly large mess happens there is still junior crew cleaning here and there. Dirt still happens in the future, just a little less of it.

...

Precursor technology is a different matter. That alien tech is possibly ideal Drexlerian nanotech. It still has to deal with waste heat, but does is with near perfection by forming a microlattice of heat pipes to the nearest large mass safe to use as a heatsink. It can't create something out of nothing but with elements and molecules on hand it can seem to do so. It doesn't take days or weeks to make large items but it might form an incomprehensible alien factory node to do the job in hours. It is from these intermediate steps and other clues that humanity has reverse engineered much of the 2100s era nanotech that isn't from biology. It should be noted that precursor tech is still so far ahead of human technology that it seems a little like magic. With decades of study the few hints we've picked up have revolutionized medicine, manufacturing and maintenance, yet we could study for a thousand more years and still discover more.

Precursor technology is rarely a critical component of a ship or base. This is due to the fact that a skilled integrator working for the enemy could affect the tech itself. There is no way to make precursor tech controlled, it is far beyond human engineering. When on a ship it will tend to be in the presence of friendly integrators - often as a part of their bodies - or in designated containment and workshop areas. Integrators are sometimes called upon to do critical damage control or medical assist.

...

## Outer Hull Materials

Most of a spacecraft structure will be outer hull, as lightweight as possible and having a large surface area for thermal radiators.

...

**Thermal Radiators:** See thermal management, are often the outer hull layer of a hull because they have to radiate waste heat into space.

…

**Polarized Hull Weave:** This old "electric armor" idea took more than a century to engineer, but by the early 2100s versions of it are quite effective. Two layers, separated by an insulator or even a dielectric layer (working as a network of supercapacitors) vaporizes projectiles that penetrate enough to make a circuit. The arc discharge can even work on non-conductive projectiles by turning them into plasma. Under-plating or armor weaves resistant to the discharge plasma are naturally required. It is usually near the outer layers of the armor but obviously under any plate mounted radiators or soft-systems mounted on the hull surface. The various major powers all have secret sandwich recipes for the latest armor, but even commercial ships mount older polarized plating designs because it is effective against deep micrometeor penetration. Polarized plating also serves as a massive low-grade capacitor bank.

...

**High Temperature Superconductors:** The room temperature superconductor useful outside of a lab is still a dream in the 2100s, but much progress has been made in superconductors overall. In the early 21st century progress had already been made https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/High-temperature\_superconductivity, however the materials were difficult to manufacture. Even with reasonable operating tempretures able to use convenient cryogenic coolants like liquid oxygen, nitrogen or methane, the materials had signficant current carrying limits and were fragile. Generally all of these negatives have improved, but high performance still equates to expense.

...

**Hull Plating:** Under the polarized weave, the plating will be layers of metamaterials. Often this is both structure and sloped armor plate. An early example of the general class of plating materials would be proteus. Some layers of plating will no doubt be refractory alloys to deal with extreme temperatures. The layers directly under polarized weave will be compatible with the effects of the arc and resistant to any remaining projectile matter coming through.

...

**Insulation / Energy Ablation:** Though little can resist a powerful laser burn-through at close range certain materials function better than others. These materials also tend to be excellent thermal insulators. A common class of insulation composite would be aerogels packed with nanoparticles. Though structurally insubstantial this layer would be extremely light and effective thermal and electrical insulation. Anti-laser and anti-plasma properties, likely also significant radiation shielding for the given mass, would be tuned with various nanoparticle compositions. Insulation layers would almost always be found with long-term cryogenic tankage.

...

**Pressure Liner:** In outer hull areas where an internal pressure needs to be maintained a lightweight liner will typically be the pressure hull. These composite liners will have a limited self-healing capacity and the ability to be easily patched. Some or all of the fabrics will typically be ripstop in nature, to limit failures. Inflatable habitats can outperform conventional metal hulls in many respects and be patched or even deflated and swapped out for maintenance.

...

## Inner Hull Materials

Inner hulls are usually shielded area, much smaller in volume and denser than the outer hull.

...

**Pykrete Plating:** Excellent for inner hull and where radiation shielding is required, pykrete is a composite made of water ice and various fibres and particles. This type of plating is placed where it has thermal or electrical conditions to maintain its frozen - solid - state and also where it is accessible as a reservoir. The water and the other materials in the plating can be used as supplies. In cases where waste cannot be completely processed, the plating could be used to as waste storage - still frozen and offering physical protection.

...

**Ambient Temperature Tankage / Storm Shelters:** Water tanks and other types of

...

**Dense Plate / Armored Bathtubs / Crew Cores:** Proper armor plate, dense and strong materials with layers to prevent spalling, dissipate heat, etc. this is essentially the battle-tank armor of the day.

...

**Welded Hulls:** These are conventional alloy hull modules, welded from various sections and usually required to mount dense plate - without a strong internal structure the dense sloping plate is not effective. These typically have inner fabric layers and a pressure liner to counteract spalling and avoid long term pressure stresses on the hull itself.

...

**Composite Hulls:** Instead of welded hulls, these more exotic structures are often grown in nano-vats or made by careful additive manufacturing. They can have superior properties relative to welded alloy hulls - and may even be partly metallic - but are generally much more expensive and can have extreme failure modes when forces are mis-applied, materials suffer damage, etc. This sort of conditional failure happened in the space shuttle, when small holes in the heat shielding allowed the inner carbon fibre structure to burn away. Without the inner strength, the shuttle structure was destroyed.

...

## 2130s Cutting Edge Materials

Increasing tensions during the 2120s have led to a military buildup, new fleet-group strategies and new materials deployed in the 2130s.

...

**Dynamic Materials:** Graphene, semiconductors,

...

**Regenerative Materials:** Last generation self-healing materials are extremely limited compared to what some term "regenerative" materials.

...

**Active Reinforcement:** Pneumatic or electromagnetic hull elements powered to provide extra structural integrity, actively adding strength with specific forces generated in the moment.

...

## Classic Materials

...

Sometimes the old fashioned ways are best. On Mars you are likely to find plenty of cut stone and simple geopolymer concrete. In the belt or on Luna old fashioned aluminum, titanium or iron alloys will be all over the place. Manufacturing massive kilometer long habitat modules has become commonplace and rapid (weeks) but at that scale good old welded or cast alloy is still what most things are made of. Plastics are rarer than in previous eras since carbon is somewhat pricey in space. Wood, bamboo, natural fibre and other such materials may be genetically engineered and treated with new tech but the look and feel of expensive "natural" materials is highly prized in the 2100s.

...

**This page is under construction. Let's build together!**

…

## Related Topics

...

* Adventure Hooks
* Basic Design
* Defensive Systems
* Energy Systems
* Industrial Systems
* Life Support
* Propulsion
* Microgravity & Spin
* Sensors & Communications
* Ships, Boats, Pods & Probes
* Space Architecture
* Standard Docks & Bays (SDAB)
* Terraforming Dreams
* Thermal Management
* **Materials Science**
* Navigation
* Weapon Systems

...

## Utilities & Resources

(Champions' Club / Site Map / YouTube)

* Rules of this Wiki
* Getting Started
* How to Contribute
* Community Management
* Help Guides
* All Help Articles

…

Champions change the world. Join the club.

…