Materials & Innovations

Intriguing scientists and engineers among 2010 MacArthur ‘genius’ Fellows

By / September 29, 2010

The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation named 23 new MacArthur Fellows for 2010. Included in this list is John Dabiri whose work with fluid dynamics we’ve featured several…

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Scientists look to nature to develop carbide materials

By / September 23, 2010

A simple chemical process converts a leaf skeleton into iron carbide, which is magnetic and conducts electricity. (Image: Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces via Nanowerk.) Via Nanowerk, researchers…

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Wood flooring, without the wood

By / September 16, 2010

I’m a huge fan of natural wood flooring. The look is classic and elegant. However, the wood floors in my house are far from elegant. Thanks to my dog, Sam,…

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DOE announces $57M in new SBIR/STTR programs, $9.6M for ‘transformational energy”

By / September 15, 2010

Makani’s Airborne Wind Turbine (above) project is being funded by a new ARPA-E grant. Credit: Makani. Over the past few days, the DOE has announced nearly $67 million in new…

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Novel electrochemical strain microscopy developed to study Li-ion movement

By / September 14, 2010

According to a press release, Oak Ridge researchers have developed a new type of scanning probe microscopy called electrochemical strain microscopy that examines the movement of Li-ions through a battery’s…

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Monday materials fun: Build your own laminate water jet with fiber optic characteristics

By / September 13, 2010

Although this looks like someone is unleashing the power of a hose full of glow stick fluid, this is actually water. For about $300, the people who made this video…

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Carbon nanotube solar funnel as powerful solar array

By / September 13, 2010

This filament containing about 30 million carbon nanotubes absorbs energy from the sun as photons and then re-emits photons of lower energy, creating the fluorescence seen here. The red regions…

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Scaffolds and host stem cells combined to improve tooth, joint replacements

By / September 7, 2010

Human molar scaffold Research centered at Columbia University is starting to improve techniques that combine ceramic scaffolds and stem cells to “grow” dental implants and limb joints. Led by Jeremy…

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Missouri S&T researchers question need for silver additive to ceramic water filter

By / September 2, 2010

Pot-shaped filters, like those above, are used to remove bacteria from water in Guatemala. The filters are typically made out of native sawdust and clay, and imported colloidal silver. (Credit:…

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Reversible silicon/silicon-oxide nanowire switch developed for 3D storage

By / September 2, 2010

A 5 nm silicon nanowire can be repeatedly broken and reconnected by applying a pulse of varying voltage through the silicon oxide, creating a two-terminal resistive switch. A chip with…

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