Jim Destefani

Simulation, 3D printing combine to duplicate (or improve!) natural materials

By Jim Destefani / June 25, 2013

The brick-and-mortar pattern of MIT’s simulated bone and nacre material doesn’t look much like the real thing. Credit: M. Buehler/MIT; photo by Graham Bratzel. For an observer of science and…

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Friday funny from the past

By Jim Destefani / June 21, 2013

Just for fun, we delved into the ACerS Bulletin archives and found this cartoon from the March 1954 issue. Enjoy and have a great weekend!

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3D printing of microbatteries

By Jim Destefani / June 21, 2013

Micro Li-ion battery (SEM view above) is manufactured using 3D printing to deposit anode and cathode materials (red and purple, respectively) on gold contacts. The stack is then encased and electrolyte…

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Shale gas a “blue bridge to a green future”?

By Jim Destefani / June 20, 2013

Rig for drilling multiple horizontal wells in the Marcellus Shale formation of Pennsylvania. Credit: Ruhrfish/Wikimedia Commons.  In western Pennsylvania, in eastern Ohio, in Texas and Oklahoma, from Colorado to Arkansas…

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Ceramic filter materials: Low-tech to WOW!-tech

By Jim Destefani / June 17, 2013

Discovered at Argonne National Laboratory, materials that expand under pressure contain large, fluid-filled pores that may enable their use as filter or storage materials. Credit: Argonne. Various types of ceramic…

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Companies race to scale up spinel for armor, optical applications

By Jim Destefani / June 14, 2013

Artist’s rendering of the USS Zumwalt in action. First in a new class of Navy destroyers, the Zumwalt will use transparent MgAl2O4 deckhouse windows. Credit: US Navy. Two manufacturers are in…

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Li-ion battery advances: borosilicide, olivine, and ‘popcorn’

By Jim Destefani / June 13, 2013

Image: Lithium borosilicide framework. Credit: Fässler, M. Zeilinger; TUM. Lightweight, high energy density, and fast, reliable recharging have made lithium-ion batteries the preferred power sources for cell phones and other portable…

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How does Superman shave?

By Jim Destefani / June 11, 2013

If you’ve been living under a rock, you may not be aware there’s a new “Superman” movie due out June 14. A trailer for Man of Steel shows a bearded…

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Ancient lessons: Roman concrete durable, green

By Jim Destefani / June 10, 2013

Drill core of concrete from a 2,000-year-old Roman breakwater consists of pumice (yellowish inclusions), lava and other volcanic crystalline materials (dark and gray spots), and lime (white). Inset: scanning electron…

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Update: Ceramic technology for auto emissions sensors evolves

By Jim Destefani / June 6, 2013

EmiSense’s NOx sensor features a planar HTCC alumina insulator and yttria-stabilized zirconia sensing element with simplified geometry the company says should lower cost and improve durability. Credit: EmiSense As global…

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