By Karyn Hede, PNNL A research team probing the properties of a semiconductor combined with a novel thin oxide film have observed a surprising new source of conductivity from oxygen atoms trapped inside. Scott Chambers, a materials scientist at the Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, reported the team’s discovery at the Spring 2022…
R&D 100 winner of the day: UCC: Ultraconductive Copper-CNT Composite
Ultraconductive Cu-CNT composite, from Oak Ridge National Laboratory, is a new class of high-performance conductors in which carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are incorporated into a copper (Cu) matrix, demonstrate improved electrical conductivity, higher current-carrying capacity, and improved mechanical properties compared to pure Cu. Growing demand for electrical energy and increasing need for more energy-efficient power delivery…
Holo-Blister, an anti-counterfeiting system for pharmaceutical blister-packs, gets patents in U.S. and Europe
Holographyx has recently been granted a U.S. patent for its Holo-Blister product along with a European Patent for the development of this cost-effective method to apply holograms to the back of blister packs using conventional heat-seal blister packaging equipment. Holo-Blister holograms have been designed so that they will only be visible behind each pill/capsule cavity…
Algorithm could shorten quality testing, research in many industries by months
From Sandia National Laboratories A machine-learning algorithm developed at Sandia National Laboratories could provide auto manufacturing, aerospace and other industries a faster and more cost-efficient way to test bulk materials. The technique was published recently in the scientific journal Materials Science and Engineering: A. Production stoppages are costly. So, manufacturers screen materials like sheet metal…
Time crystals that persist indefinitely at room temperature could have applications in precision timekeeping
We have all seen crystals, whether a simple grain of salt or sugar, or an elaborate and beautiful amethyst. These crystals are made of atoms or molecules repeating in a symmetrical three-dimensional pattern called a lattice, in which atoms occupy specific points in space. By forming a periodic lattice, carbon atoms in a diamond, for…
R&D 100 winner of the day: Coffee Bean Grinding Blade with Hard Amorphous Metal Coating
Nano and Advanced Materials Institute (NAMI) and Severin Asia have developed amorphous metal coating (AMC) on stainless steel, the industry’s first application, for coffee grinding, which drastically increases the hardness and toughness of the blade, resulting in four times lifetime improvement and leading to 50% finer grounds for silkier and more intense, robust coffee. In…
R&D 100 winner of the day: Multi-functional Sorbent Technology (MUST)
Multi-functional Sorbent Technology (MUST), from Department of Energy, National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL), Somerset International and The Dow Chemical Company, is a game-changing suite of sorbents that remove cationic (positively charged) and oxygen-containing anionic (negatively charged) heavy metals from aqueous and nonaqueous sources. Such versatility and low cost make MUST highly effective to clean contaminated…
R&D 100 winner of the day: Infinitum Electric Air-Core Motor
Infinitum Electric’s Air-Core Motors use lightweight materials and modular design to generate the same power in half the size and weight, at a fraction of the carbon footprint of conventional motors. Infinitum Electric motors offer a fully integrated system: motor, variable frequency drive (VFD) and embedded IoT in a single compact package. Infinitum Electric developed…
R&D 100 winner of the day: AMSil and AMSil Silbione
Elkem’s AMSil series is a new technology to make functional parts based on silicone elastomer by additive manufacturing (AD) and 3D printing (3DP). Thus, it is now possible to combine the performance, durability and biocompatibility of silicones with the unique possibilities offered by additive manufacturing. New opportunities arise in the design and manufacturing of soft…
Pusan National University scientists develop simpler way to create common chemical detection platform
Sensors to detect viruses, explosives or drugs often use a technique called surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) in which light wavelengths from a chemical or biological species adsorbed on metal nanostructures are detected and mapped to the identity of the species. In SERS, detection efficiency depends on the surface morphology of the nanostructure. Now, scientists have…
Rubber material holds key to long-lasting, safer EV batteries
by Georgia Institute of Technology For electric vehicles (EVs) to become mainstream, they need cost-effective, safer, longer-lasting batteries that won’t explode during use or harm the environment. Researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology may have found a promising alternative to conventional lithium-ion batteries made from a common material: rubber. Elastomers, or synthetic rubbers, are…
R&D 100 winner of the day: ELCRES HTV150 Dielectric Film
ELCRES HTV150 film, from SABIC and Shin-Etsu Polymer Co., is the first engineering thermoplastic high-voltage, high-temperature film for DC link power capacitors capable of high energy densities over long periods of time without significant current leakage or charge loss. The film exhibits stable performance and offers excellent handling through metallization and capacitor building processes. ELCRES…
R&D 100 Winner of the Day: Model 261 Deep Ultraviolet Diode Laser Module
Because of their excessive size, weight, power, cost and environmental sensitivity, continuous wave deep ultraviolet lasers have long been exclusively laboratory devices. The Model 261, from UVC Photonics, is an entirely new approach to deep ultraviolet lasers. Several years of development has resulted in a rugged, compact and low-cost module suitable for integration into fixed,…
An ‘Organic’ movement for materials
By Markus Buehler, McAfee Professor of Engineering at MIT When we talk about advances in materials science, the focus is typically on the materials themselves: how strong we can make this fabric, how light we can make the construction materials, how cheap we can manufacture better products than we have now. But the benefits of…
R&D 100 Winner of the Day: PPG ENVIROCRON Extreme Protection Thermally Conductive Dielectric Powder Coatings
PPG has pioneered dielectric powder for electric vehicles to enhance their safety. ENVIROCRON Extreme Protection Thermally Conductive Dielectric Powder Coating is engineered to provide thermal conductivity in a dielectric material to enhance safety and performance. Used instead of film and/or tape solutions, this product supports high throughput and automated application. ENVIROCRON enables electric vehicle manufacturers…
Creating invisibility with superconducting materials
Invisibility devices may soon no longer be the stuff of science fiction. A new study published in the De Gruyter journal Nanophotonics by lead authors Huanyang Chen at Xiamen University, China, and Qiaoliang Bao, suggests the use of the material Molybdenum Trioxide (α-MoO3) to replace expensive and difficult to produce metamaterials in the emerging technology…
Top-10 areas of amazing science at Brookhaven Lab in 2021
By Karen McNulty Walsh and Stephanie Kossman, Brookhaven National Laboratory Research at the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Brookhaven National Laboratory spans scales from the cosmic to subatomic, advancing our understanding of the world around and within us. Looking for discoveries that spark transformational technologies? Brookhaven has those, too! Here’s the 2021 recap of important…
Transport and its role in the circular economy
Guest editorial from Permali, a material solutions company specializing in manufacture, design and qualification of composite and PU material solutions for the defense, aerospace, health, rail, automotive and many other engineering sectors that require compliance with complex regulatory frameworks. There is growing importance in the ways industries implement circular economy models at scale, not only…
R&D 100 winner of the day: Delrin Rewewable Attributed (RA)
As part of its 2030 Sustainability Goals, DuPont launched a new portfolio of sustainable acetal homopolymer grades, with the brand name of Delrin Renewable Attributed (RA), from E.I. DuPont de Nemours (Mobility & Materials). Delrin Renewable Attributed base polymer is produced from 100% bio-feedstock from second generation waste sources (not in competition with food or…
Mitsubishi Chemical and Agilyx collaborate on successful advanced recycling trial
Mitsubishi Chemical Methacrylates and partner, Agilyx Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of Agilyx AS and a pioneer in the chemical recycling of post-use plastics, announced the successful results of a full-scale production trial for polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA; commonly called acrylic) depolymerization at Agilyx’s facility in Tigard, Oregon. The full-scale trial, conducted in August 2021, returned…
R&D 100 winner of the day: Corning Guardiant
Corning Guardiant is an antimicrobial additive that can be dosed into paints and coatings. Testing performed at the University of Arizona’s microbiology lab show that coatings containing Corning Guardiant can kill 99.9% of germs on coated surfaces, including the virus that causes COVID-19 within two hours. Guardiant uses Corning’s expertise in glass ceramic technology, allowing…
Dynamic micro-CT shifts the focus from material characterization to material behavior
By Dr. Wesley De Boever, Product Marketing Manager, TESCAN New developments in time-resolved micro-CT allow researchers to study material behaviors in situ as the materials respond dynamically to environmental influences. Dynamic micro-CT, which acquires data continuously, is a significant evolution in micro-CT technology, enabling scientists to capture data from unpredictable events that may be missed…
Stronger, lighter, better: nanotwinned titanium forges path to sustainable manufacturing
By Julie Fornaciari, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory Titanium is strong and lightweight, boasting the highest strength to weight ratio of any structural metal. But processing it while maintaining a good balance of strength and ductility – the ability of a metal to be drawn out without breaking – is challenging and expensive. As a result,…
DuPont hosts ribbon-cutting for new medical elastomer mixers at Healthcare Industries Materials Site
DuPont celebrated the inauguration of its new medical elastomers mixers at the Healthcare Industries Materials Site (HIMS) in Hemlock, Mich., with a formal ribbon-cutting ceremony. The investment in the new mixers responds to increased supply needs from DuPont Liveo Healthcare Solutions customers. The capacity expansion will: Expand in-house medical-grade silicone elastomer (Liquid Silicone Rubber and…
Machine learning tests abilities of rare-earth phosphates given atmospheric extremes
Materials and mechanical scientists are using machine learning to rapidly vet combinations of elements that could be used in next-generation environmental barrier coatings needed to protect vehicles traveling in the extreme conditions of aerospace and space environments. The project, led by researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, is supported by the National Science Foundation. Environmental barrier…