Check ‘ em out:

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!

Share

• The owner of glass manufacturer Pilkington, Nippon Sheet Glass, has announced that it will close one of its three UK production lines in an effort to cut costs. The job cuts are the second major headcount reduction in two years: In March 2010, the firm cut 6,700 jobs in the wake of the global financial crisis.

• According to reports, approximately 500 tons of molten glass was spilled in an incident on 30th January 2012 at Guardian Industries’ glass manufacturing plant in De Witt, Iowa, US. The glass leak happened during routine maintenance and six fire departments spent approximately five hours pouring cold water on the spill.

• Zimbabwe’s sole glass manufacturer, Zimglass, is set to resume operations in April 2012 after the company secured funding to refurbish its furnaces.

• AGC Glass Company North America has announced that it plans to restart float G1, an idled production line at its Tennessee plant, USA and re-instate 100 jobs once the line becomes operational. The company shut down the production line in 2008 and laid-off approximately 250 people at the time.

• Seeing the promising prospects for container glass, Taiwan Glass Group, Taiwan’s largest glass maker, plans to expand production capacity at its plant in Hsinchu County, northern Taiwan by integrating two old production lines and adding a new one.

• Magnezit Group has acquired Panteleymonovka Refractory Plant (town Gorlovka), one of the biggest enterprises in Ukraine for production of magnesia refractories.

Editor’s note: We welcome Italy-based P. Carlo Ratto to our team of bloggers. Ratto is a former council member at GLG and consultant at RHI AG Glass Division - Monofrax & Refel plants and is business development manager, Fused Cast at Vesuvius Group (Monofrax). For more information, readers are urged to consider joining some of the ceramic-related Linked In groups, such as the Ceramic Engineers’ Group and the Friends of Refractories Group.

Share

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.

Share

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.

Share

Rediheal borate glass fibers are successfully being used to treat injured green sea turtles and other animals. Credit: Avalon Medical Ltd.

One topic I and other ACerS staff frequently get asked about relates to a story from last April about the special healing borate-based glass fiber pads developed by glass scientists Delbert Day and Steve Jung in conjunction with MoSci Corp., a Rolla, Mo.-based glass products company. The news last year was that the glass fiber product, dubbed DermaFuse by MoSci, helped speed the healing of venous stasis ulcers in a majority of patients enrolled in a small human clinical test group of adult diabetics supervised by the internal review board of the Phelps County Regional Medical Center.

Most of the inquiries that come to me are from people who either are suffering with hard-to-heal skin ulcers or sores themselves or are reaching out to me on behalf of friends or family members who have the condition. Their questions are all pretty much along the lines of, “How can I or my doctors get my/their hands on DermaFuse?”

Up until just recently, I had to disappoint a lot of people because MoSci mainly does the R&D for glass products, and then licenses or reaches a supply agreement with third-party commercial companies and institutions, which then shepherd the products through regulatory processes and handle marketing and distribution. And, from what I understand, there are still testing, certification and agreements with distributors that need to be completed before it is authorized for human use.

However, the significant news is that Avalon Medical Ltd. has arranged for the DermaFuse material to be classified as “veterinary medical device” and is now marketing the product under the Rediheal brand to the veterinary and animal care marketplace.

According to the Rediheal website, the company is making the product for various size animals (”Equine version now available”) and is also offering a putty-like version of the product that can be shaped for bone healing.

While the story I originally wrote focused on a case study of human patients with venous stasis ulcers, it appears that Dermifuse/Rediheal material works shockingly well on many types of wounds. For example, the Rediheal website has several amazing animal case studies including large and small lacerations, dental void packing and gunshot wounds. (Warning - photos are not for the squeamish!)

In regard the gunshot wound case, a dog sustained at 42-square-inch wound in its back that was treated with Rediheal. According the company, the wound shrunk rapidly, and 40 days later it was nearly healed.

For me, one of the most jarring things about the gunshot wound is that there appears to be almost no scarring (see for yourself), and the dog’s fur seems to have completely regrown (albeit in a lighter color).

More information and case studies are on a special Rediheal/Avalon Facebook page, including successful efforts to heal injured green sea turtles at Jekyll Island, Ga.

One final note: Day and Jung (along with Mohamed N. Rahaman, B. Sonny Bal, Qiang Fu, Lynda F. Bonewald and Antoni P. Tomsia) also published a paper on this topic last summer in Acta Biomaterialia (doi:10.1016/j.actbio.2011.03.016), titled “Bioactive glass in tissue engineering.”

Share