Mass and volume limitations make it challenging to load a spacecraft with all the equipment needed for a mission. An effort led by the Air Force Research Laboratory is developing a solid oxide fuel cell that converts chemical energy in a spacecraft’s bipropellant into electricity, thereby allowing an existing spacecraft component to be used as an auxiliary power supply.
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Designing better ballistic materials is more than a matter of finding the optimal combination of material properties—a deep understanding of the microstructure–damage relationships is required as well. A number of recent articles published in ACerS journals look to improve processing methods for fabricating dense, resilient ceramic components.
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First introduced in the 1986 Star Trek movie “The Voyage Home”, transparent aluminum is now (almost) reality. Learn how researchers are using transparent aluminum compounds to produce lighter, thinner armor.
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Polymers gain toughness when 3D-printed in certain geometries. Now, researchers can apply that same technique to ceramics using a modified 3D printer that handles ceramic slurries.
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Researchers showed bioscaffolds out of graphene foam mixed with animal cells could eventually replace cartilage destroyed by osteoarthritis. The military may also use the research to treat musculoskeletal injuries in the field.
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Researchers have successfully used a 3-D printer to print an electronic circuit on human skin. The technology could help soldiers on the battlefield to detect chemical or biological agents, and the medical field for treating wounds and constructing skin grafts.
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Researchers at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory have hit a new low—while their previous work with environmentally controlled pressure assisted sintering achieved grain sizes as small as 28 nm, they now report grain sizes of just 3.6 nm.
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The Air Force Research Laboratory’s Aerospace Systems Directorate recently announced that it is working together with HRL Laboratories to additively manufacture high-temperature ceramic materials that are well-suited for hypersonic aircraft.
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Concrete ships have been around since the 1800s. But there is one boat with a concrete hull that is still afloat in a Florida sound. Watch the video to learn more about the colorful history of “The Boat”—which seems to have more lives than a cat!
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The October/November 2017 issue of the ACerS Bulletin—featuring an international ceramic industry report on Southeast Asia, the truth about silicon carbide for modern ceramic armor, and a midpoint update on the activities of an active Brazilian glass research center—is now available online.
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