All Articles Tagged As: materials

New filtering technology has environmental, industrial applications (11/20/2008)

Materials engineers have created a new type of membrane that separates oil from water and, if perfected, might be used for environmental cleanup, water purification and industrial applications. ...> Full Article

Acrylic glass made of sugar (11/16/2008)

new enzyme could revolutionise production of plastics ...> Full Article

Bare bones of crystal growth: Biomolecules enhance metal contents in calcite (11/5/2008)

A finding that a hydrophilic peptide significantly enhances the magnesium-content of calcite is especially meaningful for geologists because Mg-content in carbonates is used as a 'paleo thermometer'. The findings also offer new insights for materials synthesis. ...> Full Article

New Solar Energy Material Captures Every Color Of The Rainbow (10/20/2008)

Researchers have created a new material that overcomes two of the major obstacles to solar power: it absorbs all the energy contained in sunlight, and generates electrons in a way that makes them easier to capture. ...> Full Article

Promising new material that could improve gas mileage (10/12/2008)

With gasoline at high prices, it's disheartening to know that up to three-quarters of the potential energy you are paying for is wasted. A good deal of it goes right out the tailpipe instead of powering your car. ...> Full Article

Compound could help detect chemical, biological weapons (9/30/2008)

A light-transmitting compound that could one day be used in high-efficiency fiber optics and sensors that detect biological and chemical weapons at long distance almost went undiscovered by scientists because its structure was too difficult to examine. ...> Full Article

New research shows why metal alloys degrade (9/25/2008)

Finding suggest that materials scientists could make longer-lasting alloys if they use metals with similar atomic hop rates, or manipulate the intrinsic hop rates by other mechanisms. ...> Full Article

New Carbon Material Shows Promise of Storing Large Quantities of Renewable Electrical Energy (9/18/2008)

Engineers and scientists have achieved a breakthrough in the use of a one-atom thick structure called 'graphen' as a new carbon-based material for storing electrical charge in ultracapacitor devices, perhaps paving the way for the massive installation of renewable energies such as wind and solar power. ...> Full Article

Prof's new theory explains the mysterious nature of glass (9/13/2008)

New theory provides a quantitative way of describing a phenomenon that was previously explained from a strictly empirical perspective. ...> Full Article

Promising lithium batteries for electric cars (8/31/2008)

Why does lithium iron phosphate, a candidate for use in future lithium batteries, conduct electricity despite being an insulating material? ...> Full Article

Ceramic material revs up microwaving (8/29/2008)

Quicker microwave meals that use less energy may soon be possible with new ceramic microwave dishes and, according to the material scientists responsible, this same material could help with organic waste remediation. ...> Full Article

Fingerprints provide clues to more than just identity (8/8/2008)

Fingerprints can reveal critical evidence, as well as an identity, with the use of a new technology that detects trace amounts of explosives, drugs or other materials left behind in the prints. ...> Full Article

Material May Help Autos Turn Heat Into Electricity (7/28/2008)

Researchers have invented a new material that will make cars even more efficient, by converting heat wasted through engine exhaust into electricity. ...> Full Article

Slippery customer: A greener antiwear additive for engine oils (7/24/2008)

Enhancement of engine oil wear and friction control performance through titanium additive chemistry ...> Full Article

'Smart' materials get smarter with ability to better control shape and size (7/7/2008)

A dynamic way to alter the shape and size of microscopic three-dimensional structures built out of proteins ...> Full Article

Getting wrapped up in solar textiles (6/10/2008)

MIT lecturer focuses on flexible photovoltaic materials ...> Full Article

A glass apart (6/8/2008)

British scientists are developing a new type of glass that can dissolve and release calcium into the body ...> Full Article

Researchers make breakthrough in renewable energy materials (6/2/2008)

Researchers have made a ground-breaking discovery that produces highly efficient miniature crystals which could revolutionise the way we harvest and use solar energy. ...> Full Article

Green highways: Research targets environmentally friendly asphalts (5/29/2008)

As part of a new national research program called the Asphalt Research Consortium (ARC), researcher is now using $5 million in funding to study ways of making asphalt more environmentally sustainable ...> Full Article

Halting methane squanderlust (5/24/2008)

Researchers determine structure of catalyst that converts methane to more useful compounds ...> Full Article

New titanium manufacturing process saves energy, helps protect troops (5/22/2008)

The new non-melt processing technique could reduce the amount of energy required and the cost to make titanium parts from powders by up to 50 percent, making it feasible to use titanium alloys for brake rotors, artificial joint replacements and, of significant interest now, armor for military vehicles. ...> Full Article

New 3-D Test Method for Biomaterials 'Flat Out' Faster (5/4/2008)

A novel, three-dimensional (3-D) screening method for analyzing interactions between cells and new biomaterials could cut initial search times by more than half ...> Full Article

Self-repairing materials (4/18/2008)

Will the day come when cracks in buildings close up without external help and before they get to the stage where they cause damage to the component? ...> Full Article

Fast AFM probes measure multiple properties of biomolecules or materials simultaneously (4/17/2008)

New research demonstrates that novel probe technology based on flexible membranes can replace conventional atomic force microscopy (AFM) cantilevers for applications such as fast topographic imaging, quantitative material characterization and single molecule mechanics measurements. ...> Full Article

Researchers unravel the secrets of spider silk's strength (3/26/2008)

The strength of a biological material like spider silk lies in the specific geometric configuration of structural proteins, which have small clusters of weak hydrogen bonds that work cooperatively to resist force and dissipate energy ...> Full Article

New Methane Storage Technology Exceeds DOE Goals (1/22/2008)

In a major advance in alternative fuel technology, researchers report development of a sponge-like material with the highest methane storage capacity ever measured. It can hold almost one-third more methane than the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) target level for methane-powered cars, they report in a new study. ...> Full Article

The power of bananas revealed (1/15/2008)

The thought of powering your house on banana waste may sound a little unrealistic, but, two years ago, UQ researcher, Associate Professor Bill Clarke, proved it was a possibility. ...> Full Article

Nylon reveals its antibiotic powers (12/23/2007)

Nylon, we know, is incredibly versatile, strong and resilient. Now, it may be possible to add antibiotic powers to the list of qualities for the wonder synthetic material. ...> Full Article

Biocapture surfaces produced for study of brain chemistry (12/17/2007)

Researchers have developed a novel method for attaching small molecules, such as neurotransmitters, to surfaces, which then are used to capture large biomolecules. By varying the identity and spacing of the tethered molecules, researchers can make the technique applicable to a wide range of bait molecules including drugs, chemical warfare agents and environmental pollutants. Ultimately, the researchers also hope to identify synthetic biomolecules that recognize neurotransmitters so that they can fabricate extremely small biosensors to study neurotransmission in the living brain. ...> Full Article

Promising material for hydrogen storage (12/13/2007)

A Swedish research team led by Professor Rajeev Ahuja has reported a highest hydrogen capacity for the hydrogen storage material called metal-organic framework-5 (MOF-5) . These findings are being published in this week's Net edition of Proceedings of the National Academy of Science (PNAS). ...> Full Article

Catalyst-free chemistry makes self-healing materials more practical (11/28/2007)

A new catalyst-free, self-healing material system offers a far less expensive and far more practical way to repair composite materials used in structural applications ranging from airplane fuselages to wind-farm propeller blades. ...> Full Article

Engineers develop new cements to heal spinal fractures (10/31/2007)

New research could offer hope for victims of the most devastating spinal injuries - typically those caused in car crashes. ...> Full Article