Materials & Innovations

Alfred U.’s Inamori Kyocera Museum of Fine Ceramics to be dedicated May 10

By / May 5, 2011

Getting a sneak preview of the displays at the soon-to-be dedicated Inamori Kyocera Museum of Fine Ceramics are Kate Wilkins and Susan Kowalczyk. Credit: Alfred Univ. Recently I’ve covered a…

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NIST news on glass transition, double graphene layers, magnet shape effects, new manufacturing blog and favored PV technologies

By / April 28, 2011

NIST measurements show that interactions of the graphene layers with the insulating substrate material causes electrons (red, down arrow) and electron holes (blue, up arrow) to collect in “puddles”. The…

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Super-small erasable SketchSET transistor, ‘artificial atom’ could lead to super-big payoff

By Eileen De Guire / April 27, 2011

An atomic-scale depiction of the SketchSET shows three wires (green bars) converging on the central island (center green area), which can house up to two electrons. Electrons tunnel from one…

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Advanced materials opportunity: ARPA-E offers new $130M round of high-risk, high-reward funding

By / April 20, 2011

One of the projects ARPA-E is seeking to fund are alternatives to five key at-risk rare earth elements. Credit: DOE, “Critical Materials Strategy.” The DOE announced today that it is…

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Monday materials fun — keeping up with Apple, note for note

By / April 18, 2011

How one markets an alternative to a total Gorilla Glass case for smartphones … (BTW, stick with this one. Besides being very clever, the explanation comes at the very end).…

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OSU says two advanced-engineered ceramic coatings provide better resistance to volcanic ash

By / April 15, 2011

Photograph of the Eyjafjallajökull ash cloud. OSU researchers have discovered that a new class of ceramic coatings could offer jet engines special protection against volcanic ash damage in the future.…

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When graphene sheets fight back . . .

By / April 15, 2011

Credit: WaterTiger Talk about smart materials, we’ve been getting reports from various labs that researchers turn their back for just a moment . . . and this is what happens!

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Netherlands team exploits particle interplay, develops ITO stand-in

By / April 14, 2011

Four-point conductivity measurement of the new transparent conducting film developed by Cor Koning (left) and Paul van der Schoot (right). Credit: Bart van Overbeeke, TU/e. According to a news release,…

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DOE keeps 2020 cost-competitive solar target in its crosshairs with new $170M offering

By / April 13, 2011

Credit: NREL Last week the DOE announced $110 million in photovoltaic grants. Most recently, the agency announced it wants to invest another $170 million in specific advanced solar technologies and…

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Bioactive cement plaster: Bioengineering in action

By Martin Grolms / March 29, 2011

Electron micrographs of the cross-section of magnesium phosphate cement-cylinders. (a) MPC-cylinder without bacteria. (b) Macroporous structure within the inner section of freshly prepared MPC with embedded R. ruber bacteria. (c)…

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