Materials Sciences

Researchers at the University of Sheffield have transformed ordinary polyurethane packaging foam into a superfoam that not only refuses to be crushed but also actually increases in thickness when stretched. Under the same stresses conventional foam loses its resilience and its protective qualities, so the superfoam’s benefits for the packaging industry are obvious.

The secret lies in a new “cooking” technique and in the cooking oil, which has to be organic; olive oil, for example, will do ni

For several years, Caisa Andersson has been trying to create a better barrier against moisture and oxygen in our food packaging. On December 20, she will submit her doctoral dissertation at Karlstad University in Sweden.

Latex has long been used for various types of surface treatment of paper. In recent years, interest has been focused on the polymer’s characteristic of forming a protective coating on the surface of paper.

“Surface treatment is used to create a barrier against mois

Nanotechnology could make life easier for computer manufacturers and tougher for terrorists, reports a Purdue University research team.

A group led by Jillian Buriak has found a rapid and cost-effective method of forming tiny particles of high-purity metals on the surface of advanced semiconductor materials such as gallium arsenide. While the economic benefits alone of such a discovery would be good news to chip manufacturers, who face the problem of connecting increasingly tiny com

nnovationen aus der industriellen Gemeinschaftsforschung

Pro Jahr gehen in Deutschland etwa 22 Mio. Paar Kinderschuhe über die Ladentheke. Rund 30 Prozent davon stellen deutsche Firmen her. Neben seinem modischen Aussehen und seiner richtigen Passform ist die Fähigkeit zur Wärme- und Feuchtigkeitsregulation maßgeblich für den Komfort eines Schuhs. Die Füße sollen warm und trocken bleiben und vor äußeren Einwirkungen geschützt werden. Der Abtransport des Fußschweißes durch Socke und S

The basque company SK10, which works in the integration of aeronautical structures, has given a significant step forward in its innovation range within compound materials of carbon fibre.

Recently, SK10 has signed with the company EADS-CASA a contract for the development, industrialisation and subsequent mass production of the leading edges of the horizontal stabiliser for the new aircraft Falcon F7X, of the French company DASSAULT.

The development of horizontal stabiliser

A team of scientists from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Brookhaven National Laboratory, Harvard University, and Bar-Ilan University in Israel have grown ultrathin films made of organic molecules on the surface of liquid mercury. The results, reported in the November 15, 2002, issue of Science, reveal a series of new molecular structures that could lead to novel applications in nanotechnology, which involves manipulating materials at the atomic scale.

Growing molecular films on liquid