Materials Sciences

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