Characterization

Freely available deep learning method ‘fills in the blank’ of unknown internal material structures

By Lisa McDonald / May 9, 2023

What if you could predict a material’s internal microstructure based solely on its external surface characteristics? A new deep learning method developed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology provides such a capability, and all data and codes used for the study are freely available for anyone to use through GitHub.

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Thermal properties of cemented carbides: Regression model offers predictions using reliable and readily measurable material characteristics

By Lisa McDonald / March 31, 2023

The accuracy of models for predicting thermal properties of cemented carbides has been limited by dependance on unreliable conductivity data or time-consuming grain size measurements. Two researchers at a Sweden-based tooling company formulated a regression model that offers fairly accurate predictions using only reliable and readily measurable material characteristics.

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New solid-state NMR strategy cracks open the ‘black box’ of crystal nucleation in glass

By Lisa McDonald / March 28, 2023

The process by which a crystal nucleates and grows within a glass during heat treatments remains a conceptually ill-understood phenomenon. Researchers in Brazil developed a nuclear magnetic resonance strategy combined with atomistic computer simulations that allowed them to shed unprecedented light on the structural changes that take place in a glass during relaxation and crystal nucleation.

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Finding trees within the forest: Deep learning network detects individual carbon nanotubes in SEM images

By Lisa McDonald / March 21, 2023

For researchers to improve the properties of carbon nanotubes grown en masse, they must first be able to measure and characterize how individual nanotubes are assembled within carbon nanotube “forests.” In a recent paper, researchers at the University of Missouri outlined a deep learning technique to segment these forests in scanning electron microscopy images.

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Video: Multiyear study provides vast data on materials wear in marine energy technologies

By Lisa McDonald / March 15, 2023

As marine energy technologies mature, there is a risk that companies will learn the hard way that their devices will not last long in salt water. A new multiyear study provides much-needed data on the benefits and pitfalls of about 300 different specimens built from materials commonly used in marine energy devices.

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Ceramics processing—are we using the correct sintering and creep models?

By Lisa McDonald / February 28, 2023

Processing ceramics requires accurate knowledge of their thermal, chemical, and mechanical behaviors. In today’s CTT, ACerS Fellow Shen Dillon shares recent work he and collaborators in China and the United States published on new models for understanding sintering and creep behaviors in ceramics.

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New ultrafast optical nanoscopy method measures carrier dynamics in wider bandgap semiconductors

By Lisa McDonald / February 21, 2023

To date, efforts to study carrier dynamics in semiconductor materials have primarily focused on narrow bandgap semiconductors. Researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, propose a method that combines ultrafast nanoscale measurements and theoretical modeling to probe carrier behavior in semiconductors with wider bandgaps.

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Be like glass

By Lisa McDonald / November 8, 2022

As the International Year of Glass nears its end, Alfred University Inamori Professor of Materials Science & Engineering S.K. Sundaram offers a new take on Bruce Lee’s famous “be like water” quote, in honor of this International Year.

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Introduction to “Glass topology and artificial intelligence” for Glass: Then and Now

By Jonathon Foreman / October 7, 2022

As part of the IYoG celebrations, ACerS’ “Glass: Then and Now” series is highlighting ACerS journal articles each month that support advancement in glass science and technology. The focus this month is glass topology and artificial intelligence.

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Nanostructured diamond capsules maintain high-pressure samples for materials analysis

By Guest Contributor / September 23, 2022

Preserving high-pressure states of novel materials at ambient conditions is a long-sought-after goal for fundamental research and practical applications. A recent joint project by researchers in China and the United States showed that properties of high-pressure materials can be maintained in free-standing, nanostructured diamond capsules without the support of traditional bulky pressure vessels.

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