Materials Sciences
Materials management deals with the research, development, manufacturing and processing of raw and industrial materials. Key aspects here are biological and medical issues, which play an increasingly important role in this field.
innovations-report offers in-depth articles related to the development and application of materials and the structure and properties of new materials.
Nanotube sandwiches could lead to better composite materials
By stacking layers of ceramic cloth with interlocking nanotubes in between, a team of researchers has created new composites with significantly improved properties compared to traditional materials. The “nanotube sandwiches,” which are described in the May 7 online edition of the journal Nature Materials, could find use in a wide array of structural applications.
“Nanotubes are a very versatile material with absolutely fascinating physical properties, all the way from ballistic conduc
New ’metal sandwich’ may break superconductor record, theory suggests
Proposed alloy could ’open the door’ in the search for promising electric superconductors
After an exhaustive data search for new compounds, researchers at Duke University’s Pratt School of Engineering have discovered a theoretical “metal sandwich” that is expected to be a good superconductor. Superconductive materials have no resistance to the flow of electric current.
The new lithium monoboride (LiB) compound is a “binary alloy” consisting of two laye
Nanotubes act as ’thermal Velcro’ to reduce computer-chip heating
Engineers have created carpets made of tiny cylinders called carbon nanotubes to enhance the flow of heat at a critical point where computer chips connect to cooling devices called heat sinks, promising to help keep future chips from overheating.
Researchers are trying to develop new types of “thermal interface materials” that conduct heat more efficiently than conventional materials, improving overall performance and helping to meet cooling needs of future chips that will produce m
Periodontitis may increase C-reactive protein levels in pregnancy
C-reactive protein might be a plausible mediator of the association
Researchers found that pregnant women with periodontitis had 65 percent higher C-reactive protein (CRP) levels compared to periodontally healthy women. This study appears in the May issue of the Journal of Periodontology (JOP).
CRP levels are a marker of systemic inflammation and are associated with periodontal disease, a chronic bacterial infection found in the gums of the mouth. CRP has also been asso
First neutrons produced by DOE’s Spallation Neutron Source
One of the largest and most anticipated U.S. science construction projects of the past several decades has passed its most significant performance test. The Department of Energy’s Spallation Neutron Source, located at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, has generated its first neutrons.
Research conducted at the SNS will lay the groundwork for the next generation of materials research. Scientists believe that the greatly improved ability to understand the structure of materials
More evidence for ’stripes’ in high-temperature superconductors
Supports earlier controversial finding, may help explain superconducting mechanism
An international collaboration including two physicists from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Brookhaven National Laboratory has published additional evidence to support the existence of “stripes” in high-temperature (Tc) superconductors. The report in the April 27, 2006, issue of Nature strengthens earlier claims that such stripes — a particular spatial arrangement of electrical charges — mig