Materials Science :: Alien Slime

The Science of Slime: Polymers in Action

Alien Slime Lab 👽

Welcome, future space explorers! Today, you’re a materials scientist on a mission. Your task is to design and create a unique “alien slime” that could exist on a distant planet. Think about what properties your slime might need to survive in a different environment. Let’s get creative!

Your Mission

To engineer a unique slime by experimenting with different ingredients. Explore the properties of polymers and design a slime with unique characteristics for a specific alien environment.

Slime Making Instructions

Slime is a non-Newtonian fluid, meaning it behaves as both a liquid and a solid depending on how you interact with it. The key ingredient, a polymer like glue, forms long chains of molecules that become tangled when mixed with an activator such as borax or contact lens solution. This cross-linking process changes the viscosity of the substance, giving slime its stretchy, gooey, and moldable properties!

Procedure

  1. Choose Your Base: Decide if you want to start with a classic slime or a fluffy foam slime.
  2. Mix Your Slime: Follow the basic instructions provided at your station to mix your primary slime base.
  3. Become a Materials Scientist: This is where you experiment!
    • Want your slime to camouflage on a rocky planet? Add foam beads for texture.
    • Does your planet have bioluminescent creatures? Mix in glow-in-the-dark powder.
    • What color is the atmosphere on your world? Use food coloring to create a custom hue.
  4. Test and Observe:
    • How does your slime stretch? Does it bounce?
    • How do the different additives change its texture and behavior?

Exploration and Discovery 🤔

  • What makes slime, slime? You’ve just worked with polymers! These are long chains of molecules that give slime its unique stretchy and gooey properties.
  • How does your slime connect to our other projects?
    • Could your slime be a type of fuel for a stomp rocket?
    • Could it act as a shock absorber for the wheels of a Mars rover?
  • Think like an Astrobiologist: What kind of alien creature might produce a slime like yours? What purpose would it serve in its environment?

Regular Slime Recipe

Steps:

  1. Pour 3/4 cup glue
  2. Stir in 1/2 tablespoon baking soda
  3. Mix
  4. Add food coloring, glow-in-the-dark powder
  5. Pour 1 1/2 tablespoons contact solution
  6. Knead
  7. Add extras like magnetic powder, foam beads, etc.

Foam Slime Recipe

Steps:

  1. Add 1/4 cup of water
  2. Stir in 1/2 tablespoon baking soda
  3. Mix
  4. Squirt 2 cups of shaving cream
  5. Stir in 1 1/2 tablespoons contact solution
  6. Add food coloring, glow-in-the-dark powder
  7. Mix
  8. Pour 2/3 cup of white glue
  9. Knead
  10. Add extras like magnetic powder, foam beads, etc.

Made with Padlet
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