DOE solicits FY2014 hydrogen and fuel cell proposals (pdf)
The U.S. Department of Energy announced its initial Fiscal Year 2014 Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer technical topics. They include non-platinum-group catalysts for fuel cells and electrolyzers, membranes used in electrochemical systems such as fuel cells, and innovative durable sealing materials for use with hydrogen. The department’s key hydrogen objectives are to reduce the cost of producing and delivering hydrogen to $2–$4 per gallon of gas equivalent to enable fuel cell vehicle competitiveness with gasoline. Key fuel cell objectives are to reduce fuel cell system cost to $30/kW (equivalent to the cost of a gasoline internal combustion engine) and improve durability to 5,000 hours (equivalent to 150,000 miles of driving) for automotive fuel cell systems by 2017. The full SBIR/STTR Funding Opportunity announcement will be issued on August 12, and applications will be due October 15.
Corning declares quarterly dividend
The board of directors of Corning Inc. today declared a quarterly dividend on the company’s common stock of $0.10 per share. The company supplies materials systems for consumer electronics, automotive emissions control, telecommunications, and life sciences, including glass substrates for LCD televisions, computer monitors, and laptops; ceramic substrates and filters for automotive emissions control systems; optical fibers, cables, hardware, and equipment for telecommunications networks; optical biosensors for drug discovery; and other advanced optics and specialty glass solutions for the semiconductor, aerospace, defense, astronomy, and metrology industries.
Italian ceramic machinery association elects executive board
The general meeting of ACIMAC (the Italian Ceramic Machinery and Equipment Manufacturers’ Association) has elected members to its executive board. Those who will work alongside chairman Fabio Tarozzi and vice chairmen Paolo Lamberti, Fabio Schianchi, and Paolo Sassi are Emilio Benedetti (LB Officine Meccaniche), Antonella Dolcini (Ingegneria Ceramica), Andrea Giambi (Torrecid), Claudio Marani (Sacmi Imola), Franco Ponsone (Ancora), Pierluigi Ponzoni (Lema) and Franco Stefani (System).
Microscopy devices market report available
Now available from ResearchMoz, Albany, N.Y., is a new report covering the global microscopy devices market. According to “Microscopy Devices Market (Optical, Electron and Scanning Probe Microscopes, Semiconductor, Life Sciences, Nanotechnology, Material Sciences)—Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast, 2012 – 2018,” the global market for microscopy devices was valued at $3 billion in 2011 and it is expected to reach an estimated value of $6.2 billion in 2018, a compound annual growth rate of 11.0% from 2012 to 2018. The report attributes most of the growth to increasing nanotechnology research in the materials science, semiconductor, and life science areas. Nanotechnology, along with other precision manufacturing industries such as semiconductor and medical device manufacturing, is said to enhance adoption of advanced microscopes, which drives the microscopy devices market significantly. Establishment of semiconductor manufacturing facilities in countries such as China and India is also fueling growth, the report adds.
EU anti-dumping duties put heat on China’s ceramics industry
(Global Times) Chinese ceramics products manufacturers are struggling with anti-dumping duties imposed by the European Union in May. The tariffs, ranging from 13.1 percent to 36.1 percent, have resulted in the loss of almost half of overseas sales for Laotian Ceramics Co. Ltd., a large ceramics manufacturer in south China’s Guangxi Zhan Autonomous Region. “The duties are unfair, and we’ll push forward with the appeal,” said company president Tian Zhenhua. Chen Liehan, vice president of China National Arts and Crafts Import and Export Corp., said Chinese companies must familiarize themselves with laws and regulations related to anti-dumping cases to avoid such issues in the future. Meanwhile, analysts say Chinese companies should pay more attention to building reputable brands in face of the anti-dumping duties.
Author
Jim Destfani
Related Posts
Other materials stories that may be of interest for November 27, 2024
November 27, 2024