Skip to main content

Vibranium - The Wonder of Wakanda

Black Panther wearing Vibranium suit. PC: ucf.edu

If you've ever thought that the Vibranium metal used in the Black Panther movie is a real material, you're possibly mistaken.

What is Vibranium?
Sourced from a meteorite that landed in Wakanda many centuries ago, Vibranium provides the superpower in the main character’s suit, absorbing energy and redistributing it.

Vibranium (/vaɪˈbreɪniəm/) is a fictional metal appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, noted for its extraordinary abilities to absorb, store, and release large amounts of kinetic energy.

Mined only in Wakanda, the metal is associated with Black Panther, who wears a suit of vibranium, and with Captain America, who bears a vibranium-steel alloy shield which has never been reproduced.

 Real-world Material
In 2016, Hyperloop Transportation Technologies developed a real-world smart composite material that they named Vibranium. The lightweight carbon fiber material for the Hyperloop pods is reported to provide the passengers double protection against damage to the exterior. The company says that its Vibranium is 8 times lighter than aluminum and 10 times stronger than steel alternatives. The smart material can transmit critical information regarding temperature, stability, integrity and more, wirelessly and virtually instantly.

Captain's America's shield made of Vibranium-Steel Alloy. PC: Quora.com

Journalists have drawn parallels between Wakanda's vibranium reserves and the mining of coltan in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Coltan is an ore containing niobium and tantalum, two rare and valuable metals, and its exploitation is linked with child labour, systematic exploitation of the population by governments or militant groups, exposure to toxic chemicals and other hazards.

Historian Thomas F. McDow draws a parallel to uranium, found in the mine Shinkolobwe in Haut-Katanga Province, also in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Properties and Known Abilities
In the Marvel Comics Universe, vibranium is a rare metallic substance of extraterrestrial origin. The only actual physical property directly mentioned, is Howard Stark tells Captain America it is 1/3rd the weight of steel, giving it a specific gravity of 2.6. It exists in many forms:

Wakandan Vibranium is the most common variety, and is often referred to simply as "vibranium". It is a rare substance native only to the fictional small African nation of Wakanda.

The Wakandan isotope possesses the ability to absorb all vibrations in the vicinity as well as kinetic energy directed at it.

The energy absorbed is stored within the bonds between the molecules that make up the substance. As a result, kinetic energy is dissipated within the bonds instead. There are limits to the capacity of the energy that can be stored, and although the exact limitations are not yet known, there have been a few examples. One such instance was when the oil conglomerate Roxxon discovered that a small island in the South Atlantic had a foundation composed of vibranium.

Black Panther crawling in V-suit. PC: quora.com


Due to this, Roxxon found it necessary to destroy the island and so blew it up with bombs. Unable to absorb the force of the explosions, the vibranium was destroyed, but it did succeed in entirely absorbing the sound made by the explosion, preventing damage to the surrounding area.

This variety of vibranium is a powerful mutagen. Vibranium exposure led to the mutation of many Wakandan natives. Its radiation has also permeated much of Wakanda's flora and fauna, including the Heart-Shaped Herb eaten by members of the Black Panther Tribe and the flesh of the White Gorilla eaten by the members of the White Gorilla Tribe. Both give superhuman abilities to whoever eats them.

It is also believed to dramatically enhance mystical energies.

Other varieties include: Antarctic variety, Artificial variety and Living variety.

In conclusion, Vibranium is just an imaginary material created for comic and fictional purposes. It does not exist in real life. Its fantastic properties just show possibilities in Materials Science and Engineering. Other fictional materials include Adamantium and Unobtainium.

Credit: The Free Encyclopedia, UCF

Read Also: Is Vibranium possible in real life?


Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

See Also

Personality of The Week: Dr Frank Ofori Agyemang

Dr F.O. Agyemang, MATESA POTW Meet Dr Frank on this week's  Personality Dialogue show. He tells us about himself, shares his knowledge and experience with us. This is an exclusive, in-depth interview with the nanomaterials expert, deliberately enjoy the show to the very end. Who is Dr Frank Ofori Agyemang? I am from Jakobu, a town in Amansie Central district close to Ashanti Bekwai, Obuasi Road. I have a large family, with many step siblings. My dad passed away while I  was writing my PhD dissertation. I am married with a kid. Well done Doc Please tell us about your education. Growing up I have always loved to be an engineer. We were the first batch of WASSCE students (2006). I completed Kumasi Academy, popularly known as Kumaca. Before I applied for admission to KNUST, I read a lot about the programs I chose, including Materials Engineering though Pharmacy was my first choice. Before I chose MSE, a friend who was schooling outside introduced me to it, I th...
Post a Comment
More Here»

The Chemistry between Matter and Communication

[Opinion - 5 min read] In this article, I use communication and language; matter and material interchangeably. Basically, both are related in this way – without matter, there is no communication, meaning that matter is the object of communication. The aim of this write-up is for us to appreciate the fact that communication is a key factor in our daily living and hence we must pay critical attention thereof. Let's understand some underlying terms herein as we move on. Communication is the means by which different matter relate with other; it can be verbal or non-verbal, interpersonal or intrapersonal, etc. We communicate mainly through our actions, speech and thoughts. Matter is what makes up the physical world; the things that can be seen or felt, including people and other material in the environment. [Read also: Dear Writer!  ] Having gotten these, let us now look at how communication (language) affects material (matter) in these four well-known areas: Busin...
Post a Comment
More Here»

Personality of The Week: Julius Boakye Kakrah

Our Personality for this week is an outstanding gentleman who aspires to be a magnate in the field of Mining. Aside sharing with us his knowledge and experience, he reminisces a humorous experience at his alma mater and you just want to read the interview to the end. Mr  Julius Boakye Kakrah Who is Mr Julius? I am Kakrah Boakye Julius, born on May 22, 1998. I hail from Bekwai in the Ashanti Region of Ghana. I am the last born of four children. What was your experience like in secondary school? I am an alumnus of St. Augustine's College in Cape Coast and I offered General Science. I had many experiences but one I really remember is my first 3 weeks in school. I looked much like someone who has been in the school for long so I usually used to send and punish my own mates.  St Augustine's College also helped me shape my lifestyle especially the way I dress. Metallurgical Engineering, were you given the programme or you really wanted to do it? What informed your dec...
Post a Comment
More Here»

Personality of The Week: Dr. Mensah-Darkwa

Our Personality for this Week is none other than Dr. Kwadwo Mensah-Darkwa. Below is a profile of the senior lecturer popularly known as Dr. Darkwa.  PROFILE SUMMARY Dr. Kwadwo Mensah-Darkwa (KMD), is a senior lecturer at the Department of Materials Engineering, KNUST. He is also the College Examinations Officer. His offices are located at PB 319 and the College Examinations Office. Some of the courses he teaches include Introduction to IT, Strength of Materials, MATLAB, Numerical Methods. He is quite known among his students to be IT-oriented due to the  neoteric gadgets he employs in his lectures. EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND He studied General Science  at Ghana National College ,  Cape Coast, where he obtained his SSCE . He then gained admission to KNUST  to read B.Sc. Mechanical Engineering  where he completed in  June 2004  with First C lass H ono urs degree. At the North Carolina A&T State University (NCAT), Greensb...
Post a Comment
More Here»

New 'Artificial Leaf' That Converts Carbon Dioxide Into Fuel

Scientists have created an “artificial leaf” to fight climate change by inexpensively converting harmful carbon dioxide (CO2) into a useful alternative fuel. The new technology, outlined in a paper published on November 4, 2019, in the journal Nature Energy, was inspired by the way plants use energy from sunlight to turn carbon dioxide into food. “We call it an artificial leaf because it mimics real leaves and the process of photosynthesis,” said Yimin Wu, an engineering professor at the University of Waterloo who led the research. “A leaf produces glucose and oxygen. We produce methanol and oxygen.” Making methanol from carbon dioxide, the primary contributor to global warming, would both reduce greenhouse gas emissions and provide a substitute for the fossil fuels that create them. The key to the process is a cheap, optimized red powder called cuprous oxide. An hour-long chemical reaction creates the engineered red powder that is the key to new technology to tur...
Post a Comment
More Here»

Personality of The Week: Mr Ebo Quansah

Mr Ebo Quansah, Personality of The Week To  begin this month's Alumni Awareness session of the Personality Dialogue a former Teaching Assistant of the Department. He is an old student of GSTS in Takoradi. He tells us about himself and shares with us some knowledge and experience so far. Enjoy the read. Who is Mr Ebo Quansah?  Ebo-Quansah is the second born among five siblings. I was born and brought up in Manso-Wassa, where I had my basic education. I am that individual who is interested in researching into scientific problems. What was your experience like in secondary school? I had my Secondary school education at Ghana Senior High Technical School (GSTS). And you can attest to the fact that GSTS is one of the finest second cycle institutions in the country. Besides the quality of academic work, the high level of discipline the school instigates into its students really helped shape my life. For that I will always be proud of my alma mater. Talking of fond memorie...
Post a Comment
More Here»

MATESA SPORTS SEAT - Exclusive Interview

Mr Kwame Attakora-Seater of The Week This is the maiden edition of Sports Seat. It is an exclusive interview with the Sportsmen of MATESA - published weekly. The first interviwee to sit on Sports Seat is Mr Kwame Boakye Attakora. He tells about himself, MATESA and also sports (football). Who is Mr Kwame Boakye Attakora? I have always found this question very complex to answer mainly because as a person I am constantly evolving as a result of my experiences but I guess basically i am a Fante-Ashanti boy working towards making my hopes and dreams a reality. What was your experience like in secondary school? Secondary School was fun, like all my experiences. I was in Achimota School between 2010 and 2013. Funny thing is I didn’t actually plan on going there. Growing up my dream secondary school was PRESEC, Legon but I ended up at Achimota due to an error on my part when I was selecting secondary schools to attend. I chose PRESEC, Legon but mistakenly wrote down the Ac...
Post a Comment
More Here»

The Reason for The Season

Almighty, you could have snapped us into a blip to avenge for our unruly stubbornness and cruelty. You could have hypnotized us from the beginning of time to follow you with nothing called free will. No urge to disobey, steal or kill. But you chose to send your begotten son. In the beginning, you could have corrected sin and immorality yet allowed men to dwell in their carnality and later show them your sovereignty. Leaving His comfort zone, He came down to live as one of us. He was betrayed for a few denominations, chastised on several occasions but chose our salvation over condemnation. And for our sake He was condemned to death. To the wisdom of man, it was an improper fraction but to God a perfect solution.Though sinless and blameless, He bore the crossed burdened with our sins. Under the Heavy cross bathed in blood and sweat, he fell three times yet didn’t give up. He was poised to accomplish this mission of our salvation. Nailed to the cross, blood oozing from every part o...
Post a Comment
More Here»

Personality of The Week: Mr Asare Bediako

Asare Bediako - POTW On today's Personality Dialogue train we meet a very fine gentleman who is also the Rep for  his class - Metallurgical Engineering 1. He shares with us his knowledge and experience. Kindly enjoy the interaction. Who is Mr Asare Bediako?  Asare Bediako is a positive young gentleman who is self-motivated and passionately aspires to make a change in society. He is strongly interested in Youth Activism, Entrepreneurship and Leadership. What was your experience like in secondary school? I attended Adventist SHS in Bantama. It was a great and quite an interesting place to be. I was famously tagged "The king of Latin," because I always loved and used Latin quotes in all formal speeches I made. Metallurgical Engineering. Were you given the programme or you really wanted to do it? What informed your decision if you chose it? My dream program was Pharm D. I was not interested in metallurgy when it was first offered me; I had no passion to offer t...
2 comments
More Here»

Personality of The Week: Ing. Dr. Mrs. Bennetta Koomson!

Dr Bennetta Koomson, Personality of The Week Our Personality of the Week is a dainty, gorgeous, and adorable lecturer of the Department, Ing. Dr. Mrs. Bennetta Koomson, popularly known as Dr Koomson. Get to know about her. Profile Ing. Dr. Mrs. Bennetta Koomson is a Minerals Engineer and a lecturer of the Department of Materials Engineering. She began lecturing at KNUST in 2012. Her office is in Room 325 of the Petroleum Building (PB). Education She had her B.Sc. in Minerals Engineering at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST). She also holds an MPhil and PhD in Minerals Engineering where she studied at the University of Ontario Institute of Technology and the University of South Australia, but her degrees awarded by the University of Mines and Technology (UMaT), Tarkwa. In her PhD study, she worked on a research project:  “ Nanolithosorption of arsenic from mine waters ,” together with other renowned scientists and engineers: E. K. Asiam, Willi...
Post a Comment
More Here»