During borehole drilling operations, bentonite-based drilling mud mixes with excavated soil materials, which may drastically affect the mud’s rheological properties. Researchers in France developed a phenomenological model to quantify the yield stress of bentonite muds mixed with other clays.
Read MoreMany of the world’s easily accessible freshwater sources are being drained faster than they are being replenished. In two recent papers, researchers led by Jilin University investigated the potential of a clay-based self-propelling nanomotor to purify water.
Read MoreDisruptions in the energy market are not the only market forces affecting the European ceramics industry. The war in Ukraine is also driving a shortage in supplies of Ukrainian clay.
Read MoreHistorical research on the trade of metal supplies and objects often overshadows studies on the practices, recipes, and supplies of clays used by metallurgists of the time. Researchers in Belgium and France characterized metallurgical ceramic samples from the remains of a Late Medieval Period foundry in Brussels and found the analyses, in conjunction with written sources, highlight the mobility of clay materials, not just metal.
Read MoreClay soils are essential raw materials in the ceramics industry. But how do manufacturers determine the potential of soils for industrial use when scoping out a new clay pit? An open-access study by three researchers in Mozambique shows how they evaluated soil potential based on samples extracted from the Manjacazi district.
Read MoreFor hydrogels to promote tissue formation, they must be suitably porous to allow transplanted cells to move around. Researchers from the University of California, Los Angeles, created clay-enhanced hydrogels to increase pore size.
Read MoreJapanese researchers found they could explain macroscopic friction in muscovite using theoretical calculations of microscale frictional forces. They hope to develop a theory that can explain frictional strength across a broad range of clay and clay-like minerals.
Read MoreDetect ALS with graphene, lens-free holography, and other materials stories that may be of interest for February 6, 2019.
Read MoreDecreasing amounts of household air pollution is a crucial step toward improving the health of people living in developing countries. One engineer’s insulating ceramic rocket stoves could help achieve this goal.
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