Processing

ARPA-E awards $37.3M for disruptive thermal storage innovations, materials

By / October 13, 2011

Abengoa, designer of novel concentrating solar power towers, is a participant in several new ARPA-E funded projects for storing thermal energy. Credit: Abengoa Last week Eileen reported on ARPA-E’s new…

Read More

Does fast-firing of multilayer ceramic capacitors help or hinder?

By Eileen De Guire / October 13, 2011

3D microstructure of a typical MLCC slow-fired conditions (top) and fast-fired conditions. Credit: JACerS The Clive Randall group at Penn State has just published a paper, “Effect of Firing Rates…

Read More

NSF’s first Innovation Corps awards announced

By Eileen De Guire / October 6, 2011

Credit: NSF We first told you about the NSF Innovation Corps initiative when it was unveiled by NSF director, Subra Suresh, in late July. The NSF has delivered on its…

Read More

Simple nanoscale processes improve electrode performance in Li-ion batteries and supercapacitors

By Eileen De Guire / October 6, 2011

Scanning electron microscope photo of hollow carbon nanofiber-encapsulated sulfur tubes, at the heart of a new battery design. Credit: Wesley Guangyuan Zheng; Stanford Stanford University associate professor of materials science…

Read More

Tape casting of indium tin oxide for electroluminescent devices

By Eileen De Guire / September 30, 2011

Tape casting was used to fabricate a flexible indium tin oxide layer in an electroluminescent lamp. Credit: Roosen; JACerS Transparent conducting oxides constitute an important class of electronic materials and are…

Read More

Fast and economical laser finishing of glassforming molds

By Eileen De Guire / September 29, 2011

Glass forming machine with a bank of 5-20 identical sections, each of which contains one complete set of molding mechanisms to make containers. Credit: Wikipedia Laser manufacturing usually conjures images…

Read More

Europe Union launches aerogel insulation research and commercialization project

By / September 27, 2011

Credit: ARMINES/MINES ParisTech/CEP. A push like this in Europe was bound to happen sooner or later, and part of me thinks it would have been smart for the US, via…

Read More

Ceramics and glass business news of the week

By / September 22, 2011

New 3M micro milling media is alternative to YSZ. Credit: 3M. Glasstec and Solarpeq return in 2012 Glasstec 2012, the international trade fair for glass production, processing and products and…

Read More

Other materials stories that may be of interest

By / September 16, 2011

Check ’em out: Global support for nuclear energy drops after Fukushima Quantum behavior with a flash: Pulsed quantum optomechanics Europeans reignite fusion energy project: The test of a new lining…

Read More

Mechanism for electric field effects during sintering

By Eileen De Guire / September 15, 2011

The image on the left is 3Y-TZP sintered at 1,500°C. The image on the right is of 3Y-TZP, which had a 60 Hertz AC electric field applied to it followed…

Read More