http://ceramics.org/ceramictechtoday Thu, 18 Mar 2010 20:26:09 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en [caption id="attachment_6697" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="Credit: RavenBrick"][/caption] Last week I had a post about Sage Electrochromatics and the company's line of smart windows. But, there is another company, RavenBrick, that says it has a less expensive, film-based approach to smart glass, smart windows (and smart walls) that offer many of the same ... http://ceramics.org/ceramictechtoday/materials-innovations/ravenbrick-nifty-thrifty-nonelectric-smart-windows-and-smart-walls/ These are a drop in the bucket, but it is still nice to see business reports like these for a change. Carbo Ceramics Inc. approves  construction of a fourth production line at Toomsboro, Georgia proppant manufacturing facility President and CEO Gary Kolstad commented, "Carbo is the world leader in providing high ... http://ceramics.org/ceramictechtoday/business/good-economic-signs-in-ceramics-and-glass/ [caption id="attachment_6671" align="aligncenter" width="380" caption="Credit: Willis Tower"][/caption] I wrote about The Ledge in the Chicago's Willis Tower when it first opened, and some of the science and technology that makes it possible. Now, I've been advised by my youngest daughter and her fiancé that while I am visiting this weekend they ... http://ceramics.org/ceramictechtoday/glass-science/people-in-glass-buildings/ [caption id="attachment_6645" align="aligncenter" width="270" caption="A view from an electron microscope shows the multiwalled carbon nanotube "buckypaper" used in the new thermocells. (Credit: UTD.)"][/caption] According to a press release from University of Texas at Dallas, carbon nanotube electrodes could be used for generating thermoelectrical energy from heat discarded by chemical ... http://ceramics.org/ceramictechtoday/materials-innovations/nanotube-thermocells-to-harvest-wasted-thermal-energy/ There was a time when some people thought foam carbon composites technology would give lead-acid chemistry a new lease on life in a world of hybrid and hybrid-electric vehicles. The great hope was the carbon foam batteries could deliver enough energy density to make the transition, and Firefly Energy was ... http://ceramics.org/ceramictechtoday/energy-environment/plug-pulled-on-firefly-energy-carbon-foam-battery-design/ [flash http://ceramics.org/ceramictechtoday/wp-content/video/stevenson_pnnlsofc.flv mode=1 f={image=/ceramictechtoday/wp-content/video/stevenson_pnnlsofc.jpg}] Jeff Stevenson is a Laboratory Fellow in the Energy Materials Group at the Pacific Northwest National Lab, and has been working on SOFCs for more than a decade. This video, shot at the recent ICACC'10 conference in Daytona Beach, Fla., provides some history on the development of ... http://ceramics.org/ceramictechtoday/energy-environment/video-of-the-week-jeff-stevenson-on-solid-oxide-fuel-cells/ [caption id="attachment_6650" align="aligncenter" width="428" caption=" "][/caption] According to a new technical market research report from BCC Research, Nanotechnology in Coatings and Adhesive  Applications: Global Markets, the global market value for nanotechnology in coatings and adhesives is an estimated $3.7 billion in 2010, but is expected to increase to ... http://ceramics.org/ceramictechtoday/nanomaterials/report-on-nanocoatings-and-nanoadhesives-projects-worth-of-37b/ The premier issue of ACerS' new quarterly glass journal has just been put online and - good news - all of the content of this first issue is available for free! The International Journal of Applied Glass Science has been in development for over a year, and the demand for such ... http://ceramics.org/ceramictechtoday/energy-environment/new-glass-applications-and-science-journal-debuts/ Darren Quick over at Gizmodo reports on an interesting combined photovoltaic panel (with tracking) and water-heating system. According to Quick, the systems will be made by Technique Solar, an Australian company spunoff from the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology. Each trough (see diagram above) has a lens that concentrates the sunlight ... http://ceramics.org/ceramictechtoday/materials-innovations/aussies-offer-trough-focused-pvhot-water-system/ Have an interest in nuclear-related studies and research? The DOE wants you! The agency has just announced that it is seeking applicants for $5 million worth of scholarships and fellowships as part of its efforts to recruit and train the next generation of nuclear scientists and engineers. This opportunity is open ... http://ceramics.org/ceramictechtoday/energy-environment/time-to-apply-for-doe-nuclear-scholarships-fellowships/