Other materials stories that may be of interest
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On relaxations and aging of various glasses
Slow relaxation occurs in many physical and biological systems. “Creep” is an example from everyday life. When stretching a rubber band, for example, the recovery to its equilibrium length is not, as one might think, exponential: The relaxation is slow, in many cases logarithmic, and can still be observed after many hours. The form of the relaxation also depends on the duration of the stretching, the “waiting time.” This ubiquitous phenomenon is called aging, and is abundant both in natural and technological applications. Here, we suggest a general mechanism for slow relaxations and aging, which predicts logarithmic relaxations, and a particular aging dependence on the waiting time. We demonstrate the generality of the approach by comparing our predictions to experimental data on a diverse range of physical phenomena, from conductance in granular metals to disordered insulators and dirty semiconductors, to the low temperature dielectric properties of glasses.
Built to withstand almost anything
Thanks to researchers at Department of Homeland Security S&T, communities can fortify today’s critical structures — and design tomorrow’s — to absorb blows and remain open if assaulted by extreme earth, wind, water, fire, or man. A new publication series, aimed at engineers, architects, building owners, city planners, and emergency managers, makes available years of government, industry, and academic research on designs and materials to make buildings and tunnels terror-resistant and terror-resilient. The Building and Infrastructure Protection Series provides architects and engineers a set of aids for designing critical infrastructure to withstand all kinds of hazards…at a cost that won’t break the budget.
Boise State researchers create new way to study ground fractures
Boise State geophysics researchers have created a new way to study fractures by producing elastic waves, or vibrations, through high-intensity light focused directly on the fracture itself. The new technique developed in the Physical Acoustics Lab may help determine if there is a fluid, such as magma or water, or natural gas inside fractures in the Earth. Typically, scientists create sound waves at the surface to listen for echoes from fractures in the ground, but this new technique could provide more accurate information about the cracks because sound does not have to travel to the fracture and back again. The new technique aims to enhance scientists’ abilities to image faults in the Earth, including those man-made through the process of hydraulic fracturing, or fracking.
Antennaless RFID tags developed at NDSU solve problem of tracking metal and liquids
Tracking and identifying metal objects can prove difficult for some radio frequency identification systems. A patent-pending technology developed by a research team at the Center for Nanoscale Science and Engineering at North Dakota State University, Fargo, could solve these RFID tracking problems. The antennaless RFID tag developed at CNSE could help companies track products as varied as barrels of oil to metal cargo contaRFID tag bottleiners. A typical RFID tag is made up of an integrated circuit and an antenna. While there are different types of tags available, many don’t work well on metal objects or on containers filled with liquid. Previous attempts to solve this problem have resulted in bulky tags that are easily destroyed by routine handling. Researchers at the center have developed a patent-pending novel approach, with an antennaless RFID tag, allowing for an inexpensive and manufacturable product tracking solution that meets EPCglobal Standards.
MIT envisions DIY solar cells made from grass clippings
Research scientist Andreas Mershin has a dream to bring inexpensive solar power to the masses, especially those in developing countries. After years of research, he and his team at MIT’s Center for Bits and Atoms, along with University of Tennessee biochemist Barry Bruce, have worked out a process that extracts functional photosynthetic molecules from common yard and agricultural waste. If all goes well, in a few years it should be possible to gather up a pile of grass clippings, mix it with a blend of cheap chemicals, paint it on your roof and begin producing electricity. Talk about redefining green power plants!
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Video of the week – Corning’s ‘A Day Made of Glass 2: Unpacked. The Story Behind Corning’s Vision’
A year ago, Corning published a promotional video, “A Day Made of Glass… Made possible by Corning” that provide an intriguing peek into some of the technologies the company is considering—and how it may affect our lifestyles. It proved to be a popular video, racking up well over 17 million views as of today.
As those of us old enough to remember Walt Disney’s movies about the future of communities, transportation and space, these visionary presentations are more informed guesswork than prophecy. Sometimes (most times?) these ideas just don’t work out for a number of reasons, but the exercise of compiling and publishing these visions helps bring excitement and motivation, especially to young people contemplating careers in science and engineering.
However, smart tech-oriented companies tend to be cautious about sharing their “visions” with the public (Steve Jobs was and Apple still is among those at the most secretive end of the spectrum) because they are both concerned about tipping their hand to competitors and, well, being embarrassed by being wrong about the future.
Corning, however, seems to be closer to the other end of the spectrum and has clearly decided that there is value in teasing the public with how high-tech glass products may disrupt a lot of technologies in our future. Now today, nearly on the anniversary of its first “A Day Made of Glass” video, the company has published an update, ”A Day Made of Glass, Part 2″ that fleshes out more of Corning’s vision and also incorporates some of the market trends over the last year, such as the huge success of the iPad.
Some of the concepts illustrated in the new video include durable, multitouch screens; colossal- and large-scale edge-to-edge displays; ubiquitous electrochromic windows; entire dashboard surfaces made of soft, flexible glass displays; lightweight auto and sunroof glass; designer-friendly photovoltaic units; antimicrobial glass services for medical applications; and even advances in glass fiber optics.
Corning admits that a lot of these products aren’t right around the corner and acknowledges that there is still a lot of RD&D work that is needed to address existing problems with scalability and price.
To be clear, Corning is smart enough not to reveal all of its product and technology bets in this video. Furthermore, the Apple/Gorilla Glass story underlines how even Corning and other top-tier companies cannot always anticipate what external disruptions of the marketplace will rock their corporate world. Nevertheless, ADMOG Part 2 is an fascinating vision and I predict the number of views in the next year will easily exceed the 17 million of Part 1.
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Ceramics and glass business news of the week
Here is what we are hearing:
Integration of Hanse Chemie Inc. USA, into Evonik Goldschmidt Corp.
As of Jan. 1, 2012, the US Hanse Chemie business of Hanse Chemie AG and Nanoresins AG, has been merged into Evonik Goldschmidt Corp. At the same time, Hanse Chemie Inc. USA has been dissolved as a legal entity. The acquisition of the two firms by Evonik was finalized on May 12, 2011. Both companies are headquartered in Germany and produce raw materials and components for the manufacture of sealants, adhesives, molding and casting compounds, and other products. Most of the Hanse Chemie Inc. business is incorporated into the Interface & Performance business line whose activities surrounding the silicone specialties are directed at a variety of industrial markets. Activities in the paint and coatings industry, especially those concerning nanocomposites, extremely fine-particle silicas, are now part of the Coatings & Additives Business Unit of Evonik.
3M launches high density versions of its embedded capacitance material at DesignCon 2012
3M announced the initial availability of its high-capacitance Embedded Capacitance Material at DesignCon 2012, providing design engineers a new way to improve power integrity and reduce electromagnetic interference. Unlike previous 3M ECM versions, which have a maximum capacitance density of approximately 10 nF per square inch, and some existing commercial competitor offerings, which have a maximum capacitance density of approximately 6 nF per square inch, the 3M ECM high-capacitance density solutions offer a capacitance density range from 20 up to 40 nF per square inch, making it the one of the highest capacitance density, halogen-free ECM solutions on the market. This helps design engineers provide hi-fidelity signals, high-signal-to-noise ratio in radio frequencies and higher speed digital signals in a variety of high-performance applications such as small form factor computer hardware, high-performance RF boards, microphones, integrated circuit packaging and consumer electronics.
Mantec consolidates ceramic activities
Mantec, the British technology group with a portfolio of manufacturing businesses based in Stoke-on-Trent, has announced that with immediate effect the three companies previously operated as subsidiaries of the technical ceramic division have now merged into a single, business - Mantec Technical Ceramics Ltd (www.mantectechnicalceramics.com). The three companies involved are Taylor Tunnicliff, Ceramic Gas Products and Fairey Filtration Systems. They have in any case been operating under common management, from the same premises, for the past four years and so this a logical step to take. While the name of Mantec Technical Ceramics will now be the one associated with all administrative, legal, accounting and sales channels, leading brand names owned and manufactured by the group will naturally be retained.
Polycrystalline ceramics with cubic spinel structure transmit well in the visible and mid IR wavelengths of the electromagnetic spectrum. ALON and magnesia spinel are especially attractive, and are leading lightweight transparent armor candidates for future combat systems. These have enormous performance advantage over glass and justify their rapid development. Surmet achieves full density and transparency using the conventional sinter/hot isostatic Ppress process that includes green body formation and high-temperature sintering, followed by HIPping.
Molycorp Inc. announced that Molibdenos y Metales S.A. (Molymet), the world’s largest processor of the strategic metals molybdenum and rhenium, has agreed to invest approximately $390 million in the company in exchange for 12.5 million shares of Molycorp common stock. The price of the Molycorp shares to be purchased were valued based on the 20-day volume weighted average share price as of the close of trading on Jan. 30, 2012 plus a 10% premium. Molycorp has agreed to appoint to its board of directors upon the closing of the proposed investment a nominee to be designated by Molymet.
Thermablok aerogel insulation strips installed in new ‘green’ US Border Patrol station in Texas
Crews working construction on the environmentally sustainable Fabens US Border Patrol Station in Clint, Texas have just completed installing 21,000 linear feet of Thermablok aerogel insulating strips on studs throughout the 51,000 square foot facility. The strips reduce thermal bridging, the prime cause of energy loss in buildings. When RVK Architects of San Antonio collaborated with Jacobs Engineering Group of Houston to design the eco-friendly structure already years in the planning, they included Thermablok in the original design. The strips went up easily since they have peel and stick adhesive already attached to the back of the product. The facility also is fitted with solar heaters, sky lights, glazed windows and energy efficient equipment for a low-carbon footprint.
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Toughened, flexible silica aerogel? Joint Japanese–Chinese group shows how to do it
Demonstration of the flexibility of cellulose–silica composite aerogel. Credit: J. Cai et al.; Angewandte Chemie.
This sounds like the type of breakthrough aerogel fans have yearning for.
A newly published paper in Angewandte Chemie reports on an Asian group’s success at using cellulose fibers as a scaffold/template for a resultant silica aerogel that delivers a product that has great mechanical strength and flexibility, while retaining a large surface area and semitransparency.
Aerogel has been something of a tease for many years. It has incredible insulating abilities, but the one enormous problem for silica aerogel is that it is frustratingly brittle and difficult to work into practical applications. Some developers have found limited success via hybridization techniques with support materials such as polyurethane, polystyrene or even nanofibrillar bacterial cellulose and microfibrillated cellulose gel.
However, with support from the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science’s Foreign Researcher Fund of Japan and the National Basic Research Program of China, researchers at Wuhan University, China, and University of Tokyo, took a different cellulose-based route. They already knew that they could exploit “cellulose II” crystallinity (dissolution and then regeneration/reassembly of fibrils) to form aerogels with good mechanical strength, light transmittance and high porosity — characteristics that they suspected would make it an effective substrate for silica aerogel.
In brief, the group, led by Lina Zhang, impregnated a sample of nanoporous cellulose gel (with its interconnected nanofibrillar network) with a silica precursor, tetraethyl orthosilicate. According to the paper, “The resulting composite gels were dried with supercritical CO2 to give cellulose–silica aerogels with low density, moderate light transmittance, a large surface area, high mechanical integrity and excellent heat insulation.”
They then went one step farther and used calcination to remove the cellulose matrix, leaving a silica-only aerogel. The key point here is that this silica aerogel’s structure is much different than pure silica aerogel. In the latter, primary silica nanoparticles form and then randomly coagulate resulting in an isotropic 3D network. “In contrast,” again quoting from the paper, the authors say, “the formation of silica nanoparticles in the cellulose gel seems to cause their deposition onto the cellulose fibrils. As a result, removal of cellulose by calcination results in the nanofibrillar silica network.”
The group compared a variety of aerogels, including silica-only and cellulose-only aerogels; cellulose-silica composites, with varying levels of silica; and cellulose-templated silica aerogel.
What they found at the macroscopic level is that the composite aerogels didn’t inherit the fragility of the silica, but instead seem to inherit the flexibility and strength of the cellulose network (see knotted sample of one of the composites, above).
While the tensile modulus and strength of the cellulose–silica aerogel were less than pure cellulose aerogel, “the compression modulus of the composite (7.9MPa) is more than two orders of magnitude higher than that of silica aerogel, and about 50 times higher than that of the aerogel prepared from bacterial cellulose.”
Because of the cellulose content, the composite aerogels break down when used above 300°C. However, below that temperature, the cellulose-silica aerogel retained strong heat insulating properties. Thermal conductivity of the prepared samples ranged from 0.025 W m-1 K-1 to 0.045 W m-1 K-1.
These numbers compare favorably with polystyrene foam (0.030 W m-1 K-1), however, the researchers note that the ability of the cellulose–silica aerogels to perform up to 300°C give it a leg up on insulation materials made of polymer that soften and breakdown at similar temperatures.
“Thus,” according to the authors,”the cellulose–silica composite is potentially useful as heat insulating material with high mechanical stability, together with processability to form sheets, fibers, or beads. … [They] retained the mechanical strength and flexibility, large surface area, semitransparency, and low thermal conductivity of the cellulose aerogels. The ease of preparation and wide tuneability of composition/properties with this method are expected to form the basis for the development of various advanced nano-porous materials.”
The paper, ”Cellulose-silica nanocomposite aerogels by in situ formation of silica in cellulose gel,” (doi:10.1002/ange.201105730) is written by Jie Cai, Shilin Liu, Jiao Feng, Satoshi Kimura, Masahisa Wada, Shigenori Kuga, and Lina Zhang.
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Ceramics and glass business news of the week
Here’s what we are hearing:
Kyocera’s 315-watt, 80-cell solar module launches in the US
Kyocera Solar Inc. has announced the launch of its highest-output solar module, the 80-cell KD 315. The new module is ideal for large-scale installations like solar-covered parking, and is now available for US customers. Designed for high output, safety and ease of installation, the UL-certified KD 315 modules feature a UV stabilized, aesthetically pleasing black anodized frame; easily accessible ground points; proven junction box technology with 12 AWG PV wire to work with transformerless inverters and quality locking plug-in connectors for quick connections.
Morgan Thermal Ceramics showcases insulation and fire protection materials at AHR Expo 2012
MTC announces that it will be showcasing its FireMaster FastDoor and FastWrap material for HVAC and grease ducts, along with its Superwool Plus material for boilers, water heaters and boiler flues, at the AHR Expo 2012. MTC will also be showcasing its FireMaster FastDoor and FastWrap XL material for HVAC and grease ducts. FireMaster FastWrap XL is a flexible blanket composed of high temperature fibers classified for applications to 2,192°F (1,200°C) and is supplied fully encapsulated in durable glass fiber reinforced foil facing for easy handling and installation. It is a component in various UL firestop designs for fire resistance rated floors, ceilings and walls.
PPG glass helps health office earn first LEED Platinum certification in Tennessee
The Upper Cumberland Regional Health Facility in Cookeville has become the first building in Tennessee to earn LEED-NC (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design-New Construction) certification at the platinum level, in part because of its use of Solarban 70XL and Solarban 60 solar control, low-emissivity (low-e) glasses by PPG Industries. Brian Templeton, a principal with Upland Design Group, the architect of record for the facility, said Solarban 70XL glass was specified for the structure’s large, translucent, daylighting panels, while Solarban 60 was selected as the vision glass for the entryway, work spaces and other surface-level applications.
The week in solar stocks: Impossible Germany
In the past week, “Germany to Kill Solar!” headlines hit the wires. This was, notably, one week after the “Germany Saves Solar!” headlines led solar stocks higher. To recap: German demand in the fourth quarter of 2011 wildly surpassed expectations, with a demand frenzy ahead of 2012 annual subsidy cuts and cheaper-than-ever solar panel prices leading to what would be a few years’ worth of installations for much of the world in a few months in Germany. That in turn led to bullish calls from Wall Street that the left-for-dead solar sector was back, and in Wall Street parlance, the shares oversold. And that’s not all.
Mantec Group Limited consolidates three specialist technical ceramics companies into one business
In January 2012, the businesses of Ceramic Gas Products Ltd. and Taylor Tunnicliff Ltd. were consolidated into Fairey Filtration Systems Ltd. Fairey Filtration Systems Ltd. was subsequently renamed Mantec Technical Ceramics Ltd. The three specialist technical ceramics companies have for many years had shared the same facilities and management. The strategic changes will help to maintain competitiveness and create a stronger business to help secure a profitable future.
Transforming old into new: The relaunch of the Fritsch homepage
During the times of the Web 2.0 era, today is yesterday and a constant optimization of an internet presence is a must. Besides “visible” constant updates and optimizations, Fritsch has worked simultaneously on the relaunch of our homepage. Now it is comprehensively designed and revised, and this in multiple regards: The tried and proven was upgraded and new features implemented. User friendliness was a must, so now there is a noticeably improved navigation on the entry page that assists visitors and new customers to quickly obtain the desired information or to specifically contact us. New and interesting topic areas with important information for Fritsch customers were also created, such as information centered on the topic of particle sizing and mechanochemistry.
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