Scientists verify critical fabrication properties of gadolinium-nickel alloy
A new alloy developed and patented by researchers at Lehigh University, Sandia National Laboratory and Idaho National Laboratory could help the U.S. dispose more safely of 50,000 tons of spent nuclear energy fuel that are now stored at 125 sites in 39 states.
John DuPont, professor of materials science and engineering at Lehigh and principal investigator on the project, said that a nickel-based
A new dielectric material, developed by researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, could facilitate the use of copper circuitry at the chip level. The thermally stable aromatic polymer has a low dielectric constant of 1.85, good mechanical properties and excellent adhesion.
Replacing aluminum with copper as the multilayer interconnect structure in microelectronic devices could enhance both miniaturization and performance. Copper offers much higher electrical and
”Smart clothes” are clothes that employ new technologies: technological developments have made it possible to integrate electronic components into conventional garments. In demanding conditions, such as working in heavy industries, very specific demands are placed on work apparel and materials, as they must protect the wearer from any hazards found in the working environment. Smart clothes design offers new material technology applications to make work apparel safer and more specifically suit
Studies may help identify best materials for variety of future electronics applications
Flexible displays that can be folded up in your pocket? More accurate biological and chemical sensors? Biocompatible electronics? In research that may help determine the best materials for a wide range of future electronics applications, a scientist from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Brookhaven National Laboratory will report on the intrinsic electronic properties of molecular organic crystals
Researchers at the Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory are taking a new approach to “filling up” a fuel cell car with a nanoscale solid, hydrogen storage material. Their discovery could hasten a day when our vehicles will run on hydrogen-powered, environmentally friendly fuel cells instead of gasoline engines.
The challenge, of course, is how to store and carry hydrogen. Whatever the method, it needs to be no heavier and take up no more space than a
Materials scientists and engineers at Northwestern University are developing a new “high-security” steel that would be resistant to bomb blasts such as the one that struck — and nearly sank — the USS Cole in Yemen in 2000. The researchers now have a state-of-the-art instrument that enables them to get a precise look at steel’s composition on the nanoscale: a $2 million atom-probe tomograph that is only the fourth of its kind in the world.
Using the new Local-Electrode Ato
PNNL-led group controls loading of functional ’anchor’ molecules on carbon nanotubes without encumbering tubes’ strength, conductivity
Touch the tines of a tuning fork and it goes silent. Scientists have faced a similar problem trying to harness the strength and conductivity of carbon nanotubes, regarded as material of choice for the next generation of everything from biosensors to pollution-trapping sponges.
Leonard Fifield, a staff scientist at the Depart
Research into making the emerging nanomaterial industry environmentally sustainable is showing promise in a preliminary engineering study conducted at the Georgia Institute of Technology and Rice University.
Under the auspices of the Rice University Center for Biological and Environmental Nanotechnology (CBEN) funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF), researchers have been investigating the potential environmental impact of nanomaterial waste. Specifically, they want to kn
North Carolina scientists have found that “thinnest” is not necessarily “best” in rating structure and function of carbon nanotubes, the molecule-sized cylinders that show promise for futuristic technology scaled at a billionths of a meter.
During an American Chemical Society national meeting, researchers at Duke University and Xintek, Inc. of Research Triangle Park, N.C., will report on the synthesis and testing of a new class of nanotubes made up of two to five layers of carbon
It’s possible to grow thin films of mother of pearl in the laboratory that are even stronger than the super-strong material that naturally lines the inside of abalone shells. The trick is to add compounds normally found in insect shells and fungi cell walls to the recipe.
Materials scientists have long been fascinated by mother of pearl, also known as nacre, (NACK-er) because it is several times stronger than nylon, said Nicholas Kotov, associate professor at the U-M College
An engineering professor at the University of California, San Diego has described in the March issue of JOM (the Journal of the Minerals, Metals and Materials Society) the unique properties of a new type of metallic laminate that can serve as armor and as a replacement for beryllium, a strong but toxic metal commonly used in demanding aerospace applications.
“The new material we developed is environmentally safe, and while its stiffness equals that of steel, it’s only half as
A new type of laminate performed spectacularly in depth-of-penetration ballistics tests, but its greatest potential may derive from its ability to be tailored to meet specific engineering requirements
An engineering professor at the University of California, San Diego has described in the March issue of JOM (the Journal of the Minerals, Metals and Materials Society) the unique properties of a new type of metallic laminate that can serve as armor and as a replacement for berylliu
Resembling neatly stacked rows of driftwood abandoned by receding tides, particles left by a confined, evaporating droplet can create beautiful and complex patterns. The natural, pattern-forming process could find use in fields such as nanotechnology and optoelectronics.
“A lot of work in nanotechnology has been directed toward the bottom-up imposition of patterns onto materials,” said Steve Granick, a professor of materials science, chemistry and physics at the University of Ill
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Research-TV produces VNRs tailor made for TV news, radio, online and written coverage. Each story highlights groundbreaking research and/or new discoveries.
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EU Research Infrastructures
Materials Science and Nanotechnology – The Big Picture
The study of materials science starts small – in the nanometre
Researchers at the U. S. Department of Energy’s Ames Laboratory and Iowa State University have developed a new bond coat for thermal barrier coatings, or TBCs, that may allow gas turbine engines in aircraft and other power-generating technologies to better withstand severe, high-temperature environments. The basic research effort could provide a TBC system with significantly improved reliability and durability of turbine blades, thus enabling higher operating efficiencies and extending engine l
Device features on computer chips as small as 40 nanometers (nm) wide–less than one-thousandth the width of a human hair–can now be measured reliably thanks to new test structures developed by a team of physicists, engineers, and statisticians at the Commerce Department’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), SEMATECH, and other collaborators. The test structures are replicated on reference materials that will allow better calibration of tools that monitor the manufacturing of
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