Materials Preparation Center Creates Stronger, Lighter Aluminum Alloy
The next generation of jet fighter aircraft could fly farther and faster thanks to a new high-strength aluminum alloy prepared at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Ames Laboratory. The new alloy is one material being developed for use in the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, a cutting-edge aircraft that will see widespread use as the primary fighter for the U.S. Navy, Air Force, and Marines as well as U.S. allies abroad.
Currently, an interdisciplinary research project is exploring new technologies with regard to biodegradable implants. The project is carried out by two research institutions at the Technische Universität Dresden, the Max Bergmann Center of Biomaterials (MBC) at the Institute of Materials Sciences and the Institute of Textile and Clothing Technology (ITB), as well as the Leibniz Institute of Polymer Research in Dresden (IPF) and the University Hospitals in Ulm and Heidelberg.
The project
Scientists from Obninsk in the Kaluga reg. (Russia) have developed a ceramic with unique properties, with heat conductivity and thermoplasticity several times higher than normal ceramics. This means that items made of it, from coffee mugs to fuel pellets for atomic power stations, will serve longer and more reliably than standard ceramics.
During a competition of innovative developments under the 5th International Innovation and Investment Salon that was held 15-18 February 20
The University of Manchester has been awarded £5.98m to develop a new class of light alloy solutions that will transform the way aircraft, trains and automobiles are built.
The grant, which will span a five year period, has been awarded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) under the Portfolio Partnership Scheme.
Research into improving the performance of light alloys will be carried out in conjunction with Alcan, Novelis, BAE Systems, Airbus,
Quick, highly sensitive method makes genetic material glow
Using tiny semiconductor crystals, biological probes and a laser, Johns Hopkins University engineers have developed a new method of finding specific sequences of DNA by making them light up beneath a microscope.
The researchers, who say the technique will have important uses in medical research, demonstrated its potential in their lab by detecting a sample of DNA containing a mutation linked to ovarian cancer
For the first time, scientists have manipulated hydrogen atoms into stable sites beneath the surface of a palladium crystal, creating a structure predicted to be important in metal catalysts, in hydrogen storage, and in fuel cells. The research will be published in the 13 December 2005 issue of the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Science.
Observations of the effects of the resulting subsurface hydrides–hydrogen atoms with a partial negative charge–confirmed th
As a boy growing up in Brazil 40 years ago, Marc A. Meyers marveled at the lightweight toughness of toucan beaks that he occasionally found on the forest floor. Now a materials scientist and professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering at UCSD’s Jacobs School of Engineering, Meyers said makers of airplanes and automobiles may benefit from the first ever detailed engineering analysis of toucan beaks conducted in his lab.
“Our computer modeling shows that the beak is optimized to
Biomolecule and microwave assisted solvothermal syntheses of nanomaterials
Nanomaterials are increasingly gaining the attention of not only the scientific community, but also the public due to their unique properties which endear them to new and exciting applications. These special properties can vary markedly from those of the analogous bulk materials. The physical and chemical properties of the nanomaterials tend to be exceptionally closely dependent on their size and shape or mo
At the heart of the promises of nanotechnology – the emerging science of making molecular machines – are carbon nanotubes. These are tiny cylinders with remarkable properties that could improve products ranging from house paint to microchips.
Now, engineers at the University of Florida and two other universities have added another possibility: Foams used in everything from construction to cushions to packaging.
An article about the engineers’ discovery appears Friday
Latex film formation through evaporation deposition: Monte Carlo Study
In the formation of high performance coatings, it is known that the process whereby a film forms from a colloidal dispersion is a key step. Conversely, how the solvent evaporation process affects the structure of the film during this stage is not well understood. The irreversible nature of the evaporation process necessitates the use of non-standard theoretical methods and even simple models can be important too
The Max Planck Society and the Technical University in Munich inaugurate a unique neutron spectrometer at the research neutron source (FRM-II)
N-REX+ (Neutron Reflectometry & X-Rays) is one of two neutron spectrometers that are unique worldwide; the other one is TRISP (Triple Axis Resonance Spin echo Spectrometer), already in service at the research neutron source. Both were designed and built at the high flux neutron source by Max Planck researchers over the past five years. The
When ESA experts wanted to see what the ion engine designed for the SMART-1 mission to the Moon would finally look like, they contacted a French start-up company: News’UProduction. The new technique they came up with is now being further developed in ESA’s European Space Incubator.
Jean-Luc Atteleyn, photographer and CEO of News’UProduction says: “We managed to produce high quality and realistic images and animations of the engine based upon classical 3D design drawings. This was
The NANOEFFECT “Nanocomposites with High Colouration Efficiency for Electrochromic Smart Plastic Devices” project, led by the Fraunhofer-Institut Silicatforschung (ISC), is designing new electrochromic devices that are totally plastic and flexible, capable of changing colour on the simple application of an electric current. The main result of the project will be a new nanohybrid material with great electrochromic efficiency, to be integrated into plastic electrochromic devices with excellent char
Using building blocks that make up ordinary plastics, but putting them together in a whole new way, University of Michigan researchers have created a class of lightweight, rigid polymers they predict will be useful for storing hydrogen fuel. The work is described in today’s (Nov. 17) issue of the journal Science.
The trick to making the new materials, called covalent organic frameworks (COFs), was coaxing them to assume predictable crystal structures—something that never had b
Photorefractive organic polymer system functionalized with a nonlinear optical chromophore boronate derivative
Photoconducting polymers doped with nonlinear optical chromophores have emerged as efficient and inexpensive photorefractive (PR) materials. These materials show promise for applications in dynamic volume holography, image formation, optical processing, reversible data storage, correlation, etc.
Recently, PR polymer composites have gained a great amount of at
Microstructural characterization of BaTiO3 thin films prepared by RF-Magnetron sputtering using sintered targets from high energy ball milled powders
The electronic and optical characteristics of barium titanate (BT) ferroelectric ceramics are of great interest for industrial uses and when grown as thin films they can easily be integrated into modern circuitry. These thin films are commonly prepared by RF- magnetron sputtering using a commercially available BT target as the ma
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