Construction

Another step towards practical superinsulation? Cabot launches new aerogel additives for coatings

By / March 29, 2011

Cabot’s Enova 3110 aerogel particles. Credit: Cabot. In my mind, the holy grail for thermal insulation is a practical (i.e, inexpensive and easy to use) product that incorporates silica-based aerogel,…

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Novacem’s ‘carbon negative cement’

By / March 9, 2011

  Blocks made with Novacem cement. Credit: Novacem A “green” material that has received growing press attention (at least online) in recent months is a product from Novacem that the…

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Other materials stories that may be of interest

By / February 18, 2011

So many materials stories, so little time: Cornell study: Graphene grains make atomic patchwork quilts Dynamically tunable hemispherical electronic eye camera system with adjustable zoom capability Eyeglasses that use liquid crystals…

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Not yet in home LED heaven – but maybe next year

By / February 16, 2011

Because several ACerS members are directly or indirectly involved with LED research and development, and because I am doing some remodeling at my house, I figured that now would be…

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Video of the Week: ‘Green concrete’ composed of 70% fly ash

By / January 31, 2011

Researchers at Missouri University of Science and Technology believe that increasing the amount of fly ash in concrete up to 70 percent can result in excellent concrete in terms of…

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First episode of PBS/NOVA ‘Making Stuff: Stronger’ now available

By / January 20, 2011

Watch the full episode. See more NOVA. NOVA/PBS now has the first episode of the Making Stuff series online (please note that the folks at NOVA/PBS seem to still be…

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NPR: Haitians take rubble removal into own hands

By / January 13, 2011

(Credit: Jonathan Pankau/Wikimedia Commons.) Last week we had about a report from researchers at Georgia Tech who show how concrete rubble from the earthquake can be safely recycled into stronger…

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Aerogel plaster to restore historic buildings [updated]

By / January 11, 2011

Aerogel plaster is sprayed onto walls of historic buildings. (Credit: Empa) Renovating any historic structure is a project that comes with numerous challenges, one of which is how to insulate…

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Rebuilding in Haiti can be faster, stronger and less expensive using concrete made of recycled materials, says Georgia Tech group

By / January 4, 2011

Credit: ACerS Bulletin/Reginald DesRoches It’s nearly the one-year anniversary of the huge earthquake that crumbled Port-au-Prince and other parts of Haiti, and, unfortunately, reconstruction has taken place only on a…

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Toilets make their kitchen debut, so to speak

By / January 4, 2011

Toilets in the kitchen isn’t quite as unsanitary as it sounds. Fireclay Tile has introduced its Debris Collection, which is made from over 60 percent recycled toilets, more than 50…

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