Posts by Lisa McDonald
Video: I “Spot” a new application—novel uses of robots during the COVID-19 pandemic
When Boston Dynamics premiered their dog-like robot Spot in September 2019, they imagined the robot being used in hazardous environments, such as construction and electric utility. Now in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, Spot has stepped into some unusual roles that previously were not considered primary applications.
Read MoreOther materials stories that may be of interest
E-waste becomes protective coating for metal, new 3D printing technology, and other materials stories that may be of interest for August 5, 2020.
Read MoreTrap-and-zap degradation: Photocatalysis techniques for destroying antibiotic resistant bacteria and genes
Antibiotic resistant bacteria and antibiotic resistance genes are an increasing concern in water contamination. Rice University researchers are exploring photocatalysis techniques to destroy antibiotic resistance genes, and two papers published this year explore “trap-and-zap” strategies.
Read MoreCeramic and glass business news of the week for August 3, 2020
UAE starts first nuclear reactor at controversial Barakah plant, NSG Group ramps up antiviral coating research, and more ceramic and glass business news of the week for August 3, 2020.
Read MoreA double-edged sword—reverse engineered 3D-printed parts show security risk presented by machine learning
Machine learning is poised to play a big role in speeding up materials discovery and commercialization—but could such techniques present a risk to the global additive manufacturing market as well? Researchers at New York University showed they could potentially steal trade secrets by reverse engineering 3D-printed parts using machine learning.
Read MoreModeling teaches old dogs new tricks: Viscosity predictions from dilatometry and DSC
Determining viscosity of a glass through experiment is a slow and expensive process. In two recent papers published in JACerS, Penn State professor John Mauro and his colleagues show how it can be predicted much easier by using dilatometry and DSC to calculate parameters for a glass viscosity model that was proposed in 2009.
Read MoreVideo: Next-gen Gorilla Glass improves both scratch and drop resistance
Historically, Corning focused on improving drop resistance rather than scratch resistance when developing new Gorilla Glass. But Gorilla Glass Victus—the latest version announced last week—improves both resistances, with significant results.
Read MoreOther materials stories that may be of interest
Graphene can act as a surfactant, laser inversion enables multi-materials 3D printing, and other materials stories that may be of interest for July 29, 2020.
Read MoreStoring charge in sodium-ion batteries: Study supports “three-stage” model for hard carbon anodes
In developing sodium-ion batteries, hard carbon is the material most often used for the anode, but unknowns concerning the charge storage mechanism in this material hinder further development. Researchers have proposed several models to explain the charge storage mechanism, and a recent study lends support for the three-stage “adsorption-intercalation-adsorption” process.
Read MoreCeramic and glass business news of the week for July 27, 2020
Online technology platform to support UK energy transition, New York announces one of world’s largest procurements for renewable energy projects, and more ceramic and glass business news of the week for July 27, 2020.
Read More