Synopsis
Materials scientist Mark Miodownik takes a look into the inner world of metals, ceramics and plastics and the microscopic structure that allows them to function.
- Programme: Materials: How They Work
- Channel: BBC Two
- Broadcast year: 2012
- Chemistry
Licence: ERA Licence required
UK only
Staff and students of licensed education establishments only
Cannot be adapted
Add Notes
More resources about Bonding Structure and Properties

Carbon bonds | Chemistry: A Volatile History
Carbon bonds | Chemistry: A Volatile History
Scott Cooper was fascinated by how carbon atoms combined with other atoms, inventing the notion of ''bonds''.

Ceramics | How It Works
Ceramics | How It Works
Professor Mark Miodownik looks at how simple clay, sand and rock can be changed into pottery, glass and concrete to build cities and transform the wa...

Introduction to Covalent Bonding | GCSE Bitesize Revision
Introduction to Covalent Bonding | GCSE Bitesize Revision
This video introduces covalent bonding, focusing on electron sharing, the use of dot and cross diagrams, and exampl...

Metal | How It Works
Metal | How It Works
Mark Miodownik traces the history of our love affair with metal. He investigates metals at the atomic level and sees how metal crystals can be grown to ...

Metals and Alloys | Science Fix
Metals and Alloys | Science Fix
Mark Loughlin looks at the science of forensics while in the studio we make a motor and Alison Chappell takes apart a selection of drills.

Plastic | How It Works
Plastic | How It Works
Mark Miodownik shows how plastics have brought luxury to the masses and reveals how the next generation will take its inspiration from nature and coul...

S2E5: Size Matters | Dara O'Briain's Science Club
S2E5: Size Matters | Dara O'Briain's Science Club
Dara and the team reveal why size matters in science and how discoveries large and small are changing the way we view the u...

S2E6: Invisible Worlds | Dara O'Briain's Science Club
S2E6: Invisible Worlds | Dara O'Briain's Science Club
Dara and the team shine a light on some of the mysterious and usually hidden worlds surrounding us, from our internal e...

Secrets of the Super Elements
Secrets of the Super Elements
In the first BBC documentary to be filmed entirely on smartphones, Mark Miodownik reveals the weird materials that have built our high-tech world.

Semiconductors and WWII | Shock and Awe: The Story of Electricity
Semiconductors and WWII | Shock and Awe: The Story of Electricity
Jim Al-Khalili explains the importance of semiconductors, particularly with regard to fighting WWII.

Superconductors | Shock and Awe: The Story of Electricity
Superconductors | Shock and Awe: The Story of Electricity
Jim Al-Khalili looks at how, in 1986, IBM researchers discovered a breakthrough regarding superconductivity in cera...