Mechanical characterization and optical microscopy of homemade slime and the effect of some common household products

In this work, we demonstrate the synthesis of homemade slime and investigate how adding different household chemicals such as shaving cream and clay affects the chemical properties and hence the mechanical behavior. The purpose of this study is to instill scientific curiosity in young learners by establishing a relationship between a material’s chemical structure and its mechanical properties. Eight types of slime were studied: basic slime (borax with glue), slime with the addition of: (a) shaving cream, (b) clay, (c) shaving cream and clay together, (d) baking soda, (e) cornstarch, (f) hand soap, and (g) toothpaste. It was found that basic slime has a Young’s Modulus of 93 MPa while adding shaving cream and clay increased the modulus of elasticity to 194 and 224 MPa respectively. Adding thickening agents such as baking soda and corn starch increased the modulus to 118 and 110 MPa respectively while the incorporation of foaming agents, for example, hand soap and toothpaste rendered the sample very gelatinous. The Young’s modulus of samples C and D was the highest recorded and this is attributed to the presence of clay, which is relatively the stiffest material from the choice of additives used in this study. The results were supported by FT-IR spectroscopy which showcased the formation of different chemical structures of the slime with the added chemical agents.