In continuous steel casting, ceramic powders are thrown on top of the liquid metal to prevent oxidation. Two researchers from Japan investigate whether potassium carbonate may serve as an alternative to more expensive materials in the powder.
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The vast majority of wind turbine blades that reach end-of-use are either being stored in various places or taken to landfills because there are few options for recycling. Numerous companies and universities are working to change that.
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Flash plastic ash to complete recycling, trap light without back reflections, and other materials stories that may be of interest for January 20, 2021.
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Graphene nanoribbons are a family of carbon allotropes that exhibit semiconducting properties promising for electronic applications. However, the conventional bottom-up synthesis method for graphene nanoribbons is a costly and low-yield process. Researchers led by the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology developed an alternative method that is higher yield and lower cost.
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Diamonds have many desirable properties for application in electronic devices, but their rigid crystalline structure and brittle nature make it difficult to use diamonds for such a purpose. An international team of researchers led by City University of Hong Kong revealed in 2018 that diamonds are bendable on the nanoscale, and a follow-up paper published by them this month expands on that finding.
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Touchscreen displays are an increasingly standard feature in new car models and, like smartphone screens, they grow larger each year—Mercedes-Benz plans to feature a 56-inch touchscreen display in an upcoming luxury electric sedan. But do touchscreens really help drivers—or lead to distracted driving?
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Glass fiber drinking water monitor, computational model for hip implants, and other materials stories that may be of interest for January 13, 2021.
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Perovskite materials are some of the most hotly researched materials in the photovoltaic field right now. However, antiperovskite materials, which have an inverse perovskite structure, show promise as well. Two researchers in Korea used simulations to explore the potential of two antiperovskite oxides in photovoltaic applications.
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Curing heat-activated adhesives in high-temperature ovens can be an energy-intensive and costly process. Nanyang Technological University researchers demonstrated that using magnetic fields and specially designed nanoparticles instead to generate heat may be a better option.
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What better way to celebrate the start of 2021 than with a dance party—for robots? Engineering and robotics design company Boston Dynamics posted a new video that showcases the best of their robots’ abilities and offers a lighthearted way to celebrate the start of 2021.
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