If you can get beyond the heavy hype, it appears Planilum – billed by its developers as “the world’s first light-emitting material,” a “technology that redefines our relationship with light” and light that “establishes a dialogue between the ethereal and the functional” – might actually be a great product. Its codevelopers – Paris’ Saazs Institute and Saint-Gobain – say the technology…
Read MoreAs part of The American Ceramic Society’s recently concluded 110th Anniversary Celebration, the Society identified the 11 best papers published by ACerS to commemorate the 11 decades that ACerS has continually operated. A total of 171 papers from Journal of the American Ceramic Society and International Journal of Applied Ceramic Technology were considered in the…
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This video is part of our ongoing efforts to collect videos that document some of the basic methods used in industrial ceramics. This video is produced by the Discovery Channel as part of its “How It’s Made” series, and shows the methods used to prepare the raw materials and then to mold, transport, fire and…
Read MoreMy neighbor recently picked up a couple of “solar” outdoor planters/urns at a discount center. What’s a solar urn? Turns out that each urn has about six tiny LEDs around its rim that are visible at nighttime, and each had a little external solar panel that could be plugged in to charge the urn’s batteries.…
Read MoreResearchers, entrepreneurs, students, professors, business people – MS&T is the place for the latest buzz on materials applications, innovation, supplies and production. Seriously. The dates are Oct 5-9 and the place is Pittsburgh. The deadline for registration is coming up very quickly, so put down the cup-o-joe and click on that MS&T’08 box on the…
Read MoreASTM International has issued a new global standard to address the use of honeycomb ceramics in automotive catalytic converters, diesel particulate filters and combustion burner plates. The standard, ASTM C1674, Test Method for Flexural Strength of Advanced Ceramics with Engineered Porosity (Honeycomb Cellular Channels) at Ambient Temperatures, has been developed by group’s Subcommittee C28.04 on Applications,…
Read MoreWhat if your house’s windows offered double-duty performance by not only letting in sunlight but also harvesting its energy to efficiently and cost-effectively power your home? That’s the concept behind the organic solar concentrator, a new kind of solar powering device, recently developed by MIT researchers and reported on in Science. “Light is collected over a large area…
Read MoreShanghai-based Sancon Resources Recovery Inc. is a fast growing environmental services firm with operations in Australia and China. In 2007, the firm reportedly sold more than 25,000 tons of industrial waste – largely derived from plastic, cardboard and paper – to China’s ever-growing manufacturing market. Now Sancon has announced that it will develop glass-powder raw materials made from the recycled…
Read MoreResearchers at the University of the West of England say they have developed an automatic system for detecting surface defects invisible to the naked eye in ceramic tiles. Their system can detect pinholes, crazing, rough or dull glazes and other imperfections – even on tiles that are textured or feature relief patterns – the researchers say.…
Read MoreCan asphalt roads and parking lots be used as a ubiquitous and inexpensive means for collecting and utilizing solar energy? Researchers at Massachusetts’ Worcester Polytechnic Institute say: Yes. Led by Rajib Mallick, associate professor of civil and environmental engineering, a WPI research team says it has found a way to use asphalt’s heat-absorbing properties as…
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