Basic science

Friday physics fun: The charm and beauty of temps in the trillions and the Big Bang

By Eileen De Guire / August 24, 2012

Fermilab physicist explains particle physics concepts using water as an example. Credit: YouTube. “That sounds like a job for a refractory,” I thought to myself when I came across the…

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The who, what and how of staying ahead of an economic downturn

By Eileen De Guire / August 22, 2012

A packed plenary session from last year’s MS&T. This year’s conference focuses on the latest materials science and engineering—all part of gaining and keeping the competitive edge in tough economic…

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Other materials science stories that may be of interest

By / August 21, 2012

Check ’em out: September California workshop to explore plans for National Network for Manufacturing Innovation The Advanced Manufacturing National Program Office, in partnership with state and national organizations, is inviting…

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High-alumina optical fibers get around Brillouin scattering limitations

By Eileen De Guire / August 20, 2012

A sapphire-derived optical fiber transmitting light. Credit: Dragic; UIUC. If Michael Phelps or Ryan Lochte could reduce the drag of their bodies against the water in the pool by an…

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The yin and yang of entropy: When disorder begets organized nanostructures

By / August 17, 2012

Shapes can arrange themselves into crystal structures through entropy alone, new research from the University of Michigan shows. Credit: P. Damasceno, M. Engel, S. Glotzer. Oddly enough (at least at…

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Fraunhofer IWM molded chalcogenide glass approach delivers low-cost infrared lenses

By / August 14, 2012

The upper blue-tinted image is an example of a thermal image that can be provided by a vehicle-based IR detection system. The image are samples of lenses made for low-cost…

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Understanding the ‘between’ spaces: Interfacial phases and solid-state sintering

By Eileen De Guire / August 14, 2012

“A schematic illustration and a high-resolution transmission electron microscopy image showing that nanometer-thick, sintering-aid-based, quasi-liquid, intergranular and surface films form at a thermodynamic equilibrium below the bulk solidus line in…

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3D-printed bioactive glass–ceramic delivers more stability during sintering

By / August 10, 2012

Computer model (a), and photograph of 3D-printed green body (b) and sintered glass/HAp composite structure (c, after heating to 750°C at 2 K/min) for testing the viability of the 3D-printing…

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Optical fibers and optimal sails

By / August 7, 2012

To measure the forces acting on the sail, researchers have fitted it with a web of glass fibers. Credit: Fraunhofer HHI. As mentioned in the previous post about Corning’s production…

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Other materials science stories that may be of interest

By / August 7, 2012

Check ’em out: Five years after I-35 collapse, big leap in bridge sensors (Futurity) Five years after the deadly I-35W bridge collapse in Minneapolis, advances in sensors are making warning…

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