Posts by Lisa McDonald
Urine, or you’re not—Pee power is a thing, and could someday charge your smartphone
Scientists at the Bristol Robotics Laboratory (BRL) in the United Kingdom are hoping to transform one of the world’s most abundant and accessible resources—urine—into electricity.
Read MorePerovskite materials lead to better LEDs, possibly advance flat-panel displays
Researchers from the University of Cambridge, University of Oxford, and Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitat in Munich have figured out a way to use organometal halide pervoskites to make high-brightness LEDs.
Read MoreNews from the glass and refractory ceramics world
News from the glass and refractory ceramics world.
Read MoreU.S. earns near-last-place finish in global energy efficiency rankings
Germany is the most energy-efficient of the world’s major economies, according to the 2014 International Energy Efficiency Scorecard from the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy. The United States finished 13th of 16 countries—far behind Italy, the European Union, China, and France.
Read MoreCorning’s new glass surfaces say sayonara to screen glare, grime, and reflection
If screen glare leaves you vexed at bright light, the scientists at Corning have some screen solutions—antireflective, antiglare, and easy-to-clean—that they hope will make you squint no more.
Read MoreCeramics and glass business news of the week
Ceramics and glass business news of the week for August 8, 2014.
Read MoreOpen season: DOE plan provides public access to department-funded research
The Energy Department is taking steps toward a more open stream of information from the lab, introducing a new web directory that increases access to any publications or data derived from research funded by the DOE.
Read MoreOther materials stories that may be of interest
Other materials stories that may be of interest for August 6, 2014.
Read MoreYttrium superconducting tapes join to create super magnet for fusion reactors
Scientists at Japan’s National Institutes of Natural Sciences report the fabrication of a large-scale magnet conductor—generating a record-breaking electrical current of 100,000 amps—that could soon find use in fusion reactors.
Read MoreVideo: Structure and function—Surface properties are the secret to smarter materials
Materials’ surfaces are really important because they influence how something interacts with the rest of the world—and big advances in the understanding and fabrication of surfaces mean big advances in how those surfaces can function.
Read More