[Image above] Credit: Corning Incorporated

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The May 2017 issue of the ACerS Bulletin is now available online.

The cover story of the new issue features innovation in a product you probably look at every day—your car’s glass windshield. Although windshield laminates were developed almost a century ago, the technology has changed little since then. Now, evolving fuel economy standards are prompting automakers to look at innovative ways to reduce vehicle weight. In this new article, “Lighter, tougher, and optically advantaged: How an innovative combination of materials can enable better car windows today,” authors Thomas Cleary, Timothy Huten, Vikram Bhatia, Yousef Qaroush, and Michael McFarland present how Corning Gorilla Glass is expanding from its familiar applications—including cover screen glass for smartphones—and is entering into the automotive sector. When it comes to making car windshields lighter yet tougher, Corning Gorilla Glass can help—new hybrid windshield laminates that incorporate the technology can reduce vehicle weight, improve fuel economy, increase windshield durability, and enhance driving performance. Read the full article to learn more, and be sure to catch author Thomas Cleary’s talk at Ceramics Expo next week.

Another feature article in the May 2017 Bulletin presents a case study of 3-D-printed polymer-derived ceramic matrix composites (CMCs) for next-generation turbine blades. Author Daniel Thomas of 3Dynamic Systems (Bridgend, United Kingdom) presents the company’s development of a stereolithographic 3-D printing process that can fabricate CMCs with complex internal architectures—which are perfectly suited for advanced air cooling. The manufacturing method allows fabrication of complex-shaped and temperature- and environment-resistant ceramic blade structures that could allow evolution of the next generation of turbine blades.

The new issue also features an article detailing a novel semiconductor crystal structure that could enable an entirely new generation of display devices. Authors Haruyuki Baba, Motoki Nakashima, and Shunpei Yamazaki, of Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co. Ltd. (Kanagawa, Japan) detail their work on cloud-aligned indium gallium zinc oxide structures, which exhibit functionalities of a composite material. The properties of this novel crystal structure suggest it has immense potential for mass production of next-gen display devices.

In addition, the May issue includes an extended abstract from this year’s Kreidl award winner, Yingtian Yu, along with authors John Mauro and Mathieu Bauchy. “Stretched exponential relaxation of glasses: Origin of the mixed-alkali effect” describes a novel atomistic simulation method that allows direct access to long-term dynamics of glass relaxation at room temperature.

And this months’ Business and Market View column from BCC Research takes a brief look into the market for thermal barrier coatings. This huge global market is predicted to expand at a total compound annual growth rate of 21.5% during 2016–2021, swelling this market to reach a value of more than $1.5 billion by 2021. Flip to the column for more details about this growing market.

Plus, there’s lots more good stuff inside this—and every issue—of the ACerS Bulletin. The current issue is free to all for a short time, but remember that all the valuable content in over ninety years of past issues of the ACerS Bulletin is free only to members—so considering joining us today!

Author

April Gocha

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