Posts by Lisa McDonald
Video: How Crystal Palace Dinosaurs brought paleontology to the people
More than 100 years before the movie Jurassic Park captured public interest, curiosity in dinosaurs was piqued by the Crystal Palace Dinosaurs, the first life-sized models of extinct animals ever made. Though the scientific accuracy of the sculptures is largely incorrect based on current knowledge, the sculptures’ impact on public interest in paleontology is recognized to this day.
Read MoreOther materials stories that may be of interest
Fisheye metalens, mirror-like photovoltaics, and other materials stories that may be of interest for September 23, 2020.
Read MoreFrom mechanical behaviors to coloring mechanisms, modeling illuminates properties of ancient ceramics
Modeling offers a way to learn about ancient ceramics without damaging the priceless items. Two recent articles in International Journal of Ceramic Engineering & Science illustrate how modeling provides insights into myriad properties, including mechanical behaviors and coloring mechanisms.
Read MoreCeramic and glass business news of the week for September 21, 2020
Vertico opens Eindhoven 3D concrete printing facility, OMCO set to acquire Ross International’s molding business, and more ceramic and glass business news of the week for September 21, 2020.
Read MoreToward next-gen thermochromic glass: Researchers improve understanding of insulator-metal transition in vanadium dioxide films
Vanadium dioxide is being actively investigated for use in thermochromic glass due to its insulator-metal transition. However, the mechanism behind this transition is still not well understood. Researchers in Russia used the framework of blow-up overheating instability to improve understanding of this transition.
Read MoreVideo: Battery-free computing restores retro gaming device
When restoring old technology, sometimes substituting modern alternatives for original parts can improve the classic design. Researchers at Northwestern University and Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands created a clone of the 8-bit Nintendo Game Boy using an energy-aware gaming platform.
Read MoreOther materials stories that may be of interest
Antibacterial graphene face masks, tiny yet complex fiber optic force sensor, and other materials stories that may be of interest for September 16, 2020.
Read MoreA hu‘gel’y promising method: Support bath simplifies additive manufacturing of polymer-derived ceramics
Polymer-derived ceramic structures are difficult to manufacture using additive manufacturing processes because of low viscosity of the polymer state. Researchers at the University of Texas at Dallas successfully demonstrated the use of gel-like viscoplastic fluid to support preceramic polymers during the printing process.
Read MoreCeramic and glass business news of the week for September 14, 2020
Singapore glass technology company sets up shop in Columbus, rare earth recycler draws $28 million in federal funding, and more ceramic and glass business news of the week for September 14, 2020.
Read MorePersistence is key—topological data analysis reveals hidden medium-range order in glass
Understanding the atomic structure of glass and other amorphous materials is difficult because, unlike crystals, the structure only consists of short-range and medium-range order; long-range order is absent. Researchers led by Aalborg University demonstrate how a topological method called persistent homology could help reveal a glass’s medium-range order structural features.
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