Environmental groups around the world have been campaigning for years to replace lead-containing solders and protective layers on electronic components with non-hazardous metals and alloys. In response, the European Union (EU) will ban the use of lead (and five other hazardous substances) in all electrical and electronic equipment sold in EU nations starting in July 2006. U.S. manufacturers must comply with this requirement in order to market their products overseas.
However, pure ele
Potentially fatal side-effect may be preventable, new study suggests
Topoisomerase II inhibitors are among the most successful chemotherapy drugs used to treat human cancer. But a small percentage of patients treated with these agents recover from their initial malignancy only to develop a second cancer, leukemia.
Researchers at UC Davis Cancer Center have shed new light on this poorly understood process. In a study to be published in the Nov. 22 issue of the journal Leuke
Massive variations in electrical conductivity observed for amorphous carbon thin films
A great deal of work has been done into understanding the physical properties of amorphous carbon (a-C). These studies have found the relative ratio of different carbon phases strongly determines the physical properties of the material.
In this work, published in AZojomo*, by B. Rebollo-Plata, R. Lozada-Morales, R. Palomino-Merino, J. A. Dávila-PintLe, O. Portillo-Moreno, O. Zelaya
Structural and chemical compositions of Si-Al Oxy-Nitride coatings altered through the use of reactive DC magnetron sputtering
Sialons are ceramics possessing chemical inertness, good thermal shock resistance, and excellent mechanical properties that are retained up to high temperatures. These properties mean sialon systems have found considerable applications in engineering.
Sialons are almost never found as natural minerals and sialon powders must be synthesized. They are
Researchers have taken an important step toward high-volume production of new nanometer-scale structures with the first systematic study of growth conditions that affect production of one-dimensional nanostructures from the optoelectronic material cadmium selenide (CdSe).
Using the results from more than 150 different experiments in which temperature and pressure conditions were systematically varied, nanotechnology researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology created a “roa
Tape-cast silicon nitride for high temperature applications
With excellent high temperature strength, good resistance to oxidation and low coefficient of thermal expansion Si3N4 ceramic is one of the most important structural materials. However, the pure silicon nitride ceramics are difficult to densify and the addition of various oxides is used to improve sinterability.
Previous work has shown Lu2O3-SiO2 additives are useful in improving the bending strength of Si3N4 at
FSU researcher developing numerous uses for extraordinary ’buckypaper’
Working with a material 10 times lighter than steel — but 250 times stronger — would be a dream come true for any engineer. If this material also had amazing properties that made it highly conductive of heat and electricity, it would start to sound like something out of a science fiction novel. Yet one Florida State University research group, the Florida Advanced Center for Composite Technologies
Synthesis of Yttrium Aluminum Garnet by modifying the citrate precursor method
Yttrium Aluminum Garnet (YAG) is an important material used in the production of laser systems, for coating electronic devices, for tubes of cathodic rays and recently it has been considered as a suitable material for structural applications at high temperatures. In order to be successful in these applications the material properties such as optical properties, chemical stability at high temperature
Science researchers from the University of Versailles (France), in collaboration with the ID31 beam line at the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF), report their progress in the design and characterisation of microporous materials. The combination of adept chemistry and computational design made possible the synthesis of a new material, named MIL-101 by its originators, (where MIL stands for Matériaux de l’Institut Lavoisier), with very large internal pores (ø~3.4nm) and surface area
Using a new precision bonding process they developed, Penn State researchers have designed and fabricated tiny new piezoelectric microactuators — the largest only a hair’s breadth wide — based on coupling commercially available materials with existing micromachining technology.
The new actuators promise to be low cost, and capable of providing controlled force, high resolution and large displacements appropriate for applications in RF switches for cell phones, for exa
Fracture toughness of Si3N4/S45C joint with an interface crack
Ceramic/metal joints have been increasingly applied in a wide range of engineering fields because the ceramic has stable mechanical properties at high temperature and good resistance to wear, erosion and oxidation. However, the difference of material properties between metal and ceramic induces stress singularities at the interface edge. The stress singularity together with the thermal residual stress degrades the st
Effect of P2O5 and chloride on clinkering reaction
Korean ceramics researchers have recently investigated the potential for using sewerage sludge in cement production. Their research looks at the possibility of effective reutilization of sewage sludge into cement kiln processes. They describe their findings in the online materials science journal AZojomo*.
Increasing environmental regulations on marine dumping means new disposal methods must be found for sewerage sludge.
Preparation and characterization of Li1-xNi1+xO2 powder used as cathode materials
Lithium batteries increasingly permeate our lives in all manner of electrical devices. Researchers from Thailand report on a study that investigates the use of the sol-gel method to produce battery cathodes from a new material. They describe their findings in the online materials journal AZojomo*.
For some time LiNiO2 has been a promising cathode material due to its large discharge capa
A motorcycling jacket using space technology is on hand to chill MotoGP riders racing this weekend in Malaysia and next weekend in Qatar, should the heat require it.
The Anatomic Intercooler System (AIS) jacket was developed by Italian bike clothing company Spidi and was used last year by Spanish rider Sete Gibernau at the world’s hottest motorbike Grand Prix at the Sepang circuit in Qatar.
It keeps the rider cool inside the suit, helping to maintain a low body temperature
The design, development and manufacturing of revolutionary products such as the automobile, airplane and computer owe a great deal of their success to the large-scale material testing systems (MTS) that have provided engineers and designers with a fundamental understanding of the mechanical behavior of various materials and structures.
In the world of nanotechnology, however, where the mechanical characterization of materials and structures takes place on the scale of atoms and
Researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Brookhaven National Laboratory have discovered a way to significantly increase the amount of electric current carried by a high-temperature superconductor, a material that conducts electricity with no resistance. This is an important step in the drive to create superconductor-based electric and power-delivery devices, such as power transmission lines, motors, and generators. The results are explained in the September 12, 2005, online edition of
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