Metals and Materials
Materials determine what technologies can be built and how well they work. Explore the metals, minerals and engineered substances behind electronics, energy and construction, including their supply chains, recovery and possible substitutes.
18 films · Newest film first.
Can Mushrooms Replace Plastic?
· 16 min
Bacterial Concrete: Can Buildings Heal Themselves?
· 13 min
E-Waste: Can Old Electronics Become a New Mine?
· 19 min
Antimony: The Metal China Can Switch Off
· 19 min
Graphite: China's Grip on the Battery Anode
· 16 min
Palladium and Platinum: The Metals Running Short
· 17 min
Silver: The Industrial Metal Running Short
· 16 min
Magnet Recycling: Mining Old EVs and Turbines
· 13 min
Direct Lithium Extraction: Beyond Evaporation Ponds
· 24 min
Lab-Grown Diamonds: The End of Natural Diamonds?
· 23 min
The Helium Shortage: Chips, MRIs and a War in the Gulf
· 16 min
Phosphate: The Fertiliser Rock One Country Controls
· 21 min
Cement: Can We Build Without the Carbon?
· 19 min
Asteroid Mining: The Trillion-Dollar Gamble
· 14 min
Green Steel: Can Hydrogen Replace the Blast Furnace?
· 18 min
Deep-Sea Mining: A New Frontier or a New Mistake?
· 14 min
Copper: The Metal the Electric Age Is Running Out Of
· 23 min
Rare Earths The Minerals That Control the Future
· 26 min