Posts by Lisa McDonald
Retiring the Kauzmann paradox—a call to focus future glass research elsewhere
Initially proposed as a simple pondering by a U.S. chemist in the 1940s, the controversial Kauzmann paradox has inspired hundreds of follow-up papers in a variety of scientific disciplines. Now, researchers in the U.S. and Brazil led by ACerS Fellows Edgar D. Zanotto and John C. Mauro argue it may be best to focus future glass research elsewhere.
Read MoreCeramic and glass business news of the week for June 12, 2023
Astronomers downsize proposed Arecibo Observatory replacement, Audi’s pilot project for glass recycling becomes part of standard production, and more ceramic and glass business news of the week for June 12, 2023.
Read MoreLet there be light—aerogel-filled glass bricks provide translucency as well as insulation and load-bearing capabilities
Glass block walls can be a desirable way to maximize natural light exposure in a building, but their thermal properties do not allow for the best energy efficiency. Researchers at Empa, the Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology designed aerogel-filled glass bricks that are translucent as well as thermally insulating and strong.
Read MoreDislocations and student perspectives on community, plus more inside June/July 2023 ACerS Bulletin
The June/July 2023 issue of the ACerS Bulletin—featuring unusual properties of ceramics—is now available online. Plus—new C&GM.
Read MoreVideo: Caltech announces first-ever wireless power transfer of space-based solar energy back to Earth
The idea of harvesting solar energy in outer space and beaming it back to Earth is a science-fiction concept that in recent decades gained real-world legs. Now, the California Institute of Technology announced that an experiment through its ongoing Space Solar Power Project beamed solar energy collected in space back to Earth for the first time.
Read MoreOther materials stories that may be of interest for June 7, 2023
First X-ray of a single atom, protein for sorting rare earth elements, and other materials stories that may be of interest for June 7, 2023.
Read MoreRemediating mine waste—ceramics aid in treatment of acid mine drainage
With the rapid growth of the global mining sector, it is crucial that miners adopt improved regulations and lower-impact methods to reduce the sector’s environmental and social footprint. Ceramics play an important role in environmental remediation, and today’s CTT highlights two studies that use ceramics to treat acid mine drainage.
Read MoreCeramic and glass business news of the week for June 5, 2023
Mitsubishi Electric and Coherent to scale manufacturing of SiC power electronics, UC Santa Cruz now offers graduate degrees in materials science and engineering, and more ceramic and glass business news of the week for June 5, 2023.
Read MoreDe-‘SCRIBE’-ing improvements—researchers refine procedure for printing gradient refractive index optics
Significant progress in creating optics with nonuniform (gradient) refractive indices has been made over the past two decades. In 2020, researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign proposed a unique way to use direct laser writing to achieve even greater control over the refractive index. A new open-access paper details refinements to their so-called SCRIBE method.
Read MoreVideo: Upcoming deadline risks deep-sea mining taking place without regulations
The International Seabed Authority is running up against a July 9 deadline to finish developing a code for deep-sea mining. The possibility of mineral exploitation taking place without regulations has marine scientists concerned because so much is still unknown about the environmental effects of this practice.
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