Posts by Lisa McDonald
Supersonic revival: NASA developing quieter, more fuel-efficient supersonic commercial jet
NASA recently announced that it is spending $20 million to push supersonic jet travel back into commercial reality. The funding is going to a team led by Lockheed Martin for preliminary design work on a reimagined supersonic jet that could take to the skies by 2020.
Read MoreHeating up rust could make large-scale solar power storage possible
Is the key to large-scale solar power storage rusting before our eyes? Researchers at Stanford University (Stanford, Calif.) found that ordinary metal oxides, such as rust, can be made into solar cells capable of splitting water into hydrogen and oxygen by day for energy use at night.
Read MoreBetter batteries? Study uncovers potential hidden impact of oxide nanoparticles on earth microbiome
A new study by researchers at the University of Wisconsin–Madison and the University of Minnesota shows that nanoparticles of lithium battery catalyst nickel manganese cobalt oxide may harm important bacteria that reside in the soil and have untold environmental consequences.
Read MoreVideo: New smartphone prototype ‘bends’ to meet consumers’ needs
Researchers at Queen’s University in Ontario, Canada, have developed a prototype for a flexible smartphone that gives users a more tactile viewing experience.
Read MoreOther materials stories that may be of interest
Flexible solar cells could happen, industrial nanoparticles pose no threat, and other materials stories that may be of interest for March 2, 2015.
Read MoreNew kid on the block: This 2-D material could upstage graphene in the digital tech game
There’s a new one atom-thick flat material on the scene that could boot graphene from its seat as the wonder material to advance electronic tech as we know it.
Read MoreSick of the brick? Piezoelectric transformers poised to shrink power converters
Researchers at Pennsylvania State University and Solid State Ceramics Inc. have modified hard-piezoceramic materials to realize the potential of piezoelectric transformers—which hold promise to reduce size and boost the efficiency of consumer electronic devices.
Read MoreWhat I wish I knew: Expert insight from Richard Brow
Hindsight is 20/20, so we asked ceramic and glass experts to proffer their best advice. While they’re leaders, advisors, and role models now, they started somewhere. So listen up—their advice might help you in your own quest for success.
Read MoreMore ‘green’ for clean energy: DOE launches $40M effort to advance materials research for renewable energy
This week, the U.S. Department of Energy launched a $40 million effort to improve materials for clean energy solutions that will “give American entrepreneurs and manufacturers a leg up in the global race for clean energy,” says a DOE news release.
Read MorePenguins shed more materials secrets—feathers inform design of icephobic membranes
Researchers at the Key Laboratory of Bio-Inspired Smart Interfacial Science and Technology at Beihang University (Beijing, China) say that in addition to being superhydrophobic, penguin feathers also owe their ice-shedding abilities to anti-adhesive qualities.
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