Posts by Lisa McDonald
Reviving the coal industry—One product at a time
Environmental concerns and decreased demand have contributed to the decline of coal as a fuel source. The Oak Ridge National Laboratory is developing value-added products that may eventually revive the coal industry.
Read MoreWater assists flash sintering to densify ceramic to 98% theoretical density in just 30 seconds
Scientists at the University of California, San Diego have developed a method called water-assisted flash sintering that can densify powders to 98% of theoretical density in just 30 seconds. Their method takes place at room temperature and requires no external heating.
Read More‘An iPhone formed from glass’—New slate of Apple smartphones feature glass front and back faces
By now, you’ve probably heard that the rumors are true—Apple’s newest iPhones have shed their aluminum skins for an “all-glass design” instead, complete with front and back glass surfaces.
Read MoreMedical device tax impacts medical device manufacturers
The two-year moratorium on the 2.3% medical device excise tax expires on December 31, 2017. If lawmakers repeal the tax in the next few months, it could spur research and development plus job growth in the medical device industry.
Read MoreVideo: 3-D printed concrete research brings us closer to construction applications
A mechanical engineering student recently participated in a NIST summer project involving 3-D printed concrete—watch this video to see how the project team tested various cement paste samples to measure viscosity, yield stress, and printing defects.
Read MoreOther materials stories that may be of interest
‘Rubber material’ discovered that could lead to scratch-proof paint for car, defects in next-generation solar cells can be healed with light, and other materials stories that may be of interest for September 13, 2017.
Read MoreNanodiamonds create safer batteries by preventing dendrite formation
Researchers have uncovered a process to increase the safety of future lithium batteries. By adding nanodiamonds to an electrolyte solution, they were able to prevent dendrite growth, a major cause of lithium battery fires.
Read MoreRapid sintering method takes step-wise approach to densify nanoceramics quicky and evenly
Researchers at Jožef Stefan Institute (Ljubljana, Slovenia), the National Institute of Chemistry (Ljubljana, Slovenia), and Stockholm University (Stockholm, Sweden) have developed a new method to rapidly and evenly densify nanoceramics, offering incredible potential to save a lot of time and energy in sintering processes.
Read MoreReducing grain boundary energy can help design ceramics with no grain growth
A team led by researchers at the University of California, Davis has published new research showing that diffusion isn’t the only consideration when it comes to controlling grain growth.
Read MoreEnergy-saving window films incorporate thermochromic nanoparticles to reflect, absorb heat
A partnership between a research laboratory and a manufacturer has resulted in a new thermochromic window material that would save energy and automatically change its tint based on temperature.
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