Advanced Materials

[montez]

Megathread covering advanced and novel materials for making physical objects, across biomaterials, composites, and engineered surfaces.

Format should follow

Material or platform

Short factual description

Website:
Instagram:
X:

Maker:
Materials:
Composition:
Process:
Properties:
Applications:
Made in:
Availability:

Headline the platform rather than one of its products when a maker’s platform spans several named materials, and list those materials in the Materials field. Headline the material itself otherwise, and omit the Materials field.

At least 2 images: the material itself, then a named finished product

Omit any field that does not apply or cannot be verified against a primary source rather than leaving it blank.

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Fine Mycelium

Fine Mycelium is MycoWorks’ process for growing a leather substitute with mycelium.

Website: https://www.mycoworks.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mycoworks/
X: https://x.com/MycoWorksInc

Maker: MycoWorks
Materials: Reishi (Pebble, Mycelial, Doux finishes), Sylvania (Hermès exclusive)
Composition: 100% mycelium that’s grown on recycled sawdust, bran, and water
Process: Grown in trays, then chrome-free tanned and finished by European partners
Properties: Fine Mycelium has a tensile strength of 14–18 MPa and withstands 25,600 abrasion cycles, and 20,000 flexing cycles.
Applications: Hermès Victoria bag (2021), Nick Fouquet hats (2022), Cadillac SOLLEI concept interior (2024), Ligne Roset Kobold sofa (2025)
Made in: Union, South Carolina, USA
Availability: Inquiries and Wholesale

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SSAB Zero

SSAB Zero is steel made from recycled scrap using fossil-free electricity and biogas.

Website: https://www.ssab.com/en/brands-and-products/ssab-zero
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ssab
X: https://x.com/SSAB_AB

Maker: SSAB
Composition: Recycled steel scrap
Process: Scrap is melted in an electric arc furnace on fossil-free electricity and biogas, with lime added to draw off impurities before casting
Properties: SSAB Zero emits less than 0.05 kg of CO2 per kg of steel from melt to cast.
Applications: GE Vernova onshore wind towers (announced 2023), Volvo EX60 SUV (announced 2025)
Made in: Montpelier, Iowa, USA
Availability: Inquiries

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Kevlar

DuPont introduced Kevlar as a high-strength PPTA aramid fiber in 1971

Website: https://www.arclin.com/kevlar/

Maker: Arclin (Kevlar brand acquired from DuPont in 2026)
Composition: Poly-para-phenylene terephthalamide (PPTA), an organic aromatic-polyamide (para-aramid) synthetic fiber
Process: PPTA is dissolved into a liquid-crystalline solution and forced through a spinneret; shear fully orients polymer domains, and slow relaxation preserves the structure in the as-spun filament.
Properties: For Kevlar 29 and 49 yarns, density is 1.44 g/cm³; tensile strength is 2,920 and 3,000 MPa; tensile modulus is 70.5 and 112.4 GPa; elongation at break is 3.6% and 2.4%; decomposition in air is 427–482°C.
Applications: SIEZ Gripper HE BND rescue glove (2018); ATG MaxiFlex Cut glove (2019); Youngstown FR Mechanics Hybrid 12-2112-10 Glove (2022); PIP Kut Guard Arc Flash Sleeve and Mechanix Wear Leather Needlestick Law Enforcement glove NSLE-55 (2023); Kevlar SoftShield 379 Level A9 Liner (2025)
Availability: Inquiries

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Smile Plastics

Smile Plastics is Smile Materials’ collection of recycled plastic panels in named PET, HIPS, and HDPE designs.

Website: https://smile-materials.com/material-brand/smile-plastics/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/smile.materials/

Maker: Smile Materials Ltd
Composition: 100% recycled and recyclable plastic from a mix of pre- and post-consumer waste, including yoghurt pots and white goods; panels are sorted into PET, HIPS, or HDPE types, but a panel is not guaranteed to contain only one type.
Process: Recycled plastic is hand-selected, hand-arranged, and pressed into panels at the Wales factory; panels leave the press complete and can be CNC-routed or hand-finished.
Properties: Indicative data sheets list densities of 1.28 g/cm³ for rPET, 1.06 g/cm³ for rHIPS, and 0.95 g/cm³ for rHDPE; fabrication guidance gives about 2 mm per metre of thermal expansion over a 10°C change and rapid rigidity loss above 85°C for unsupported sheets.
Applications: Smile Plastics x ACAD Ocean Modular Seating installation (2021, reimagined 2022); Jean Paul Brkovic Heron UTO series low chair, coffee table, and stacking benches (2024); Ocean More Than Just a Bench public bench (2025); GOODSHEET Orca Statement Bench (2025)
Made in: Swansea, Wales, UK
Availability: Samples and Inquiries