Posts by Lisa McDonald
Nanospinning performance fabrics—the next generation of gear is weaving materials science into outerwear
By incorporating electrospun nanofibers, The North Face’s new Futurelight gear is designed to be more breathable and lightweight than any other performance material currently on the market.
Read MoreA hundred years of ferroelectricity, plus more inside January/February 2020 ACerS Bulletin
The January/February 2020 issue of the ACerS Bulletin—featuring the history and industry impact of ferroelectric materials—is now available online. Plus—NSF CAREER Ceramics Program decadal overview.
Read MoreCracking the case of ceramic ‘softening’: Size-induced grain boundary energy affects hardness of ceramics
When grain sizes in ceramics become critically small, ceramics can appear to soften. Researchers led by the University of California, Davis, show this false impression is due to an extensive network of nanocracks caused by increased grain boundary energy.
Read MoreCeramic and glass business news of the week
ACI to host Concrete Convention, nuclear tech company to locate research center in New Mexico, and more ceramic and glass business news of the week for December 20, 2019.
Read MoreVideo: Effectively pour concrete in cold weather
Though construction season is mainly ended for the year, sometimes critical construction projects cannot wait until spring. Learn how to effectively pour concrete in cold weather.
Read MoreOther materials stories that may be of interest
Electrons flow like water, bullets that shoot through water, and other materials stories that may be of interest for December 18, 2019.
Read MoreFrom disorder to lasers: High-entropy transparent ceramics hold high potential for optics, photonics applications
High-entropy materials present significant potential for numerous applications due to their unique chemistries, but such materials’ optical properties have not been studied fundamentally yet. Two researchers at Alfred University begin to fill this knowledge gap by investigating a transparent high‐entropy fluoride laser ceramic.
Read MoreBond, Ceramic Bond—Improving bonding of ceramics in advanced ceramic applications
To improve ceramic devices, one factor ceramists and ceramic engineers consider is the strength of ceramic bonds. Two recent papers published in an ACerS journal explore ways to improve ceramic bonds in different applications.
Read MoreFrom grain-sized to centimeter scale—technique makes mass production of metalenses possible
Metalenses, or flat surfaces that use nanostructures to focus light, are poised to revolutionize cameras, sensors, and displays—if the lenses can be mass produced. Researchers at the Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences found deep-ultraviolet projection lithography can solve this production challenge.
Read MoreCeramic and glass business news of the week
Lucideon to hold refractories training during CeramicsExpo week, 2019 Excellence in Concrete Pavement Awards, and more ceramic and glass business news of the week for December 13, 2019.
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