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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Nikhil Gupta, associate professor in the Polytechnic Institute of New York University Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Department, is developing a new generation of ceramic brakes to be used in mass-market automobiles. Today’s ceramic brakes are found mostly on race cars, exotic sports cars and motorcycles. Credit: NYU-Poly.

Ceramic-containing brake pads and rotors first began to appear as high-tech solutions for F1 and other auto and motorcycle racing applications and more recently have been appearing in commercial markets as high performance braking systems in the premium sedan and truck markets. While this technology is slowly making its way into mass-market vehicles, R&D work continues on perfecting such braking systems, and the latest news is that a team of researchers from Polytechnic Institute of New York University and Michigan-based REL Inc. say they have created a next-generation aluminum-ceramic composite brake rotor that may cut rotor weight 60 percent (compared to cast iron rotors). The team also says the new rotor’s functionally graded design could triple the lifespan of traditional rotors.

Looking at a market worth billions of dollars, REL Inc. applied for and received a $150,000 Phase I SBIR grant from the NSF to develop the initial product design, material and manufacturing process. REL had already established itself as a manufacturer of mixed matrix components for the auto and aerospace industry. The company recruited the expertise of NYU-Poly’s Nikhil Gupta, an associate professor at the school. Gupta leads the school’s Composite Materials and Mechanics Lab.

While strong, the heavy cast iron rotors apparently are a uniform material, which, according to Gupta and REL, contributes to warpage and wear because of nonuniform temperatures and pressure strains across the surface of the rotor. Instead, they say the optimal brake rotor needs to be designed with three functional regions, where each region is matched to a material with distinct strain and thermal properties.

To accomplish this region-based design, the team begins with a high-temperature aluminum alloy and reinforces it with functionally graded ceramic particles and fibers that impart unique characteristics to each section of the rotor.

Gupta explains in a news release, ”The hybrid material allows us to provide reinforcement where additional strength is needed, increase high-temperature performance, and minimize stress at the interfaces between the zones. Together, this should boost rotor life significantly, reducing warranty and replacement costs, and the weight savings will improve the vehicle’s fuel efficiency.”

Gupta and REL claim their one-piece design will be easier to manufacture than current ceramic and ceramic-composite braking systems and be able to penetrate into the $10 billion market. Their pitch to automakers is that their new rotors will last longer and slash approximately 30 pounds from a mid-size sedan.

“As auto companies strive to meet increasingly high efficiency and low emissions targets, there’s a tremendous business opportunity in creating novel lightweight components which reduce overall vehicle weight and increase vehicle performance,” says Adam Loukus, vice president of REL.

Gupta has also conducted research into the creation of polymer-based functionally graded components made by dispersing according to their wall thickness hollow glass microballons in a polymeric matrix.

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Credit: Wachsman et al.; Energy & Environmental Science.

No.

Will it anyway? Unfortunately, it looks that way, based on the DOE’s 2012 budget request (pdf), which hacks off 41 percent of total SOFC funding from the current year budget, and would leave support at 65 percent of what it had in 2010. Moreover, it would cut off funding for the Solid State Energy Conversion Alliance

The US policy of turning off its support for SOFC R&D seems to me to be a horrible and strategic error and I’d say that it’s time sound the alarm—but Eric Wachsman, Craig Marlowe and Kang Taek Lee beat me to it!

Wachsman et al. have a new paper in the Royal Society of Chemistry’s Energy & Environmental Science journal that politely and intelligently flays the logic behind a federal policy that abandons SECA and technical leadership in this field to other nations, such as Japan and Germany, despite the substantial progress that SECA has been shepherding. The three authors are affiliated with the University of Maryland’s Energy Research Center. Wachsman is a member of ACerS and also serves as editor of Ionics.

It probably comes as no surprise to people in the materials field that SOFCs have an enormous future. As the authors note, “SOFCs have the highest potential efficiency for the conversion of fuel to electricity,” and are extremely fuel-flexible.

The authors continue to build their initial premise, writing,

“Recent progress in lowering operating temperature and power density improvements have made SOFCs a unique energy technology platform that offers stunning potential for electrical generation in not only centralized, but distributed and even mobile applications. Lowering operating temperatures reduces manufacturing costs, vastly simplifies the integration of balance of plant components and enables thermal cycling. Improved thermal cycling capabilities of low-temperature SOFCs would allow them to also play an important role in load following applications such as non-base-load electricity generation and transportation.”

So why would DOE walk away from SOFC technology now? (It should be noted that the DOE would shift most if not all of its support to proton exchange membrane fuel cells, aimed mostly at the transportation sector.) Wachsman et al. are baffled for a number of reasons, some of which I will attempt to capture here.

First, they hold up one of DOE’s main policy-making documents, its “Quadrennial Technology Review,” and compare its priorities with SOFC technology’s ability to deliver (see chart above). For example, the DOE lays out separate basic energy strategies for the “stationary” and “transport” marketplaces. Deployment of clean energy, grid modernization and improved building/factory efficiency are mentioned for the former; deployment of alternative fuels, fleet electrification and improved vehicle efficiency are identified for the latter. Sounds good, so far, the authors say, so SOFCs would seem to be able to be an important part of achieving all six of these strategies, if not a superior choice to the alternatives. “[F]uel cells in general, and SOFCs in particular, can be used in the execution of every DOE strategy. With an additional requirement that the technology utilize existing fueling infrastructure, SOFCs stand out as a key cross-cutting technology solution,” they argue.

They then go on to make detailed analyses of how SOFCs would contribute to each strategy. For example, in regard to deploying clean energy, they present a cogent, US-specific set of reasons for maintaining SOFCs in our technology portfolio.

“Today, 50 percent of the US’s electricity is produced from coal and 20 percent from natural gas. Our large reserves, and current lack of economically competitive alternatives, suggest that a sizable portion of our future electricity will continue to be derived from these two sources. …If electricity production remains dependent upon coal and natural gas, the sustainable use of these fuels and environmental emission reduction goals both require that we utilize these resources with the highest possible efficiency. While natural gas turbine technology has made significant progress and has efficiencies around 50%, coal technology still lags. Utilizing synthetic gas (syngas) derived from coal, SOFCs have potential efficiencies rivaling those of natural gas turbines. While many set a goal to eliminate our use of coal and natural gas, prudence suggests we ensure that their use is as efficient as possible until that goal is achieved.”

To further drive their point home, Wachsman et al. provide chapter and verse details of the remarkable achievements SECA-led R&D projects have made in lower operating temperatures, increasing power density, increasing materials durabilities and lowering costs. Wide scale applications and unsubsidized market penetration may still be a decade or so off, but impressive and successful demonstration and tests have occurred in uses that include

• Utility-scale power generation (with nearly twice the fuel-to-electricity efficiency and half the levelized cost of electricity, compared to pulverized coal/carbon capture and sequestration systems);
• High-efficiency distributed generation/gas turbine hybrid systems for grid stability and reversible (hydrogen-producing) SOFCs for grid storage;
• Combined heat and power, and “trigeneration” (heating, cooling and power) systems with over 70 percent efficiencies;
• Polygeneration system that can convert conventional energy sources “into multiple energy products, e.g., liquid fuels and electricity;”
• Vehicular auxiliary power units that can provide parallel hybrid support for anything from efficient tractor-trailer refrigeration units to range-extenders for hybrid an plug-in hybrid electric vehicles.

In the lab, Wachsman et al. report that significant progress has been made, such as in “near quadrupling of power density [that] provides significant room for lowering SOFC operating temperature. Such temperatures dramatically expand applications and reduce cost, thus, fundamentally altering the fuel cell paradigm. LT-SOFCs provide the opportunity to obtain all of the anticipated fuel cell benefits without waiting for a H₂ infrastructure.”

Billions of dollars have already been sunk into SOFC research, development and deployment. The authors conclude with reminding the DOE and the administration what is in clear view, namely, “Around the globe, meaningful pilots and commercialization activities are expanding in the use of SOFC driven CHP. Abandoning, or even delaying, investments into this cross cutting technology just as it is becoming commercially viable are not in our short or long term interests.”

And, they go on to plead that protecting these investments and restoring funding will “provide clarity to the public and stakeholders regarding our fuel cell vision, facilitate a promising technology on the cusp of commercialization and maintain the critical mass of talent that has been assembled with SECA and other promising commercial interests.”

Makes sense to me. If it does to you, you might want to let the folks in Washington, DC know what you think.

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Honda Civic test vehicles. The higher solar reflectance of the solar vehicle makes it more fuel efficient than its black cousin. Credit: EETD; LBNL

If you’ve had the experience of climbing into a car on a hot, sunny day, you might have wondered whether a light colored car would be less miserable than a dark one. The answer is “yes,” and a recent paper published in Applied Energy reports how much warmer dark cars can be. Going a step further, the paper predicts the extent to which car color may influence fuel consumption and emissions. The press release describes the simple, but effective experiment.

The Heat Island Group of Lawrence Berkeley National Lab’s Environmental Energy Technologies Division borrowed two Honda Civic sedans from the State of California, attached a bunch of temperature measuring instrumentation, parked the cars in a sunny spot of the parking lot and took data.

The only difference between the nearly identical four-door sedans was color: one was silver, the other black. That is, one car had a high solar reflectance (silver) and the other did not (black). Solar reflectance values range from 0 to 1, and the solar reflectance of the silver car was 0.58, while that of the black car was 0.05. As the term implies, surfaces with high solar reflectance stay cooler in the sun.

The cars were subjected to five identical soak-cool cycles comprised of an hour-long soak in the sun without air conditioning followed by a 30 minute cool down with air conditioners running at full blast. Meanwhile, measurements were taken of the cars’ roof, ceiling, dashboard, windshield, seat, door, vent air and cabin air temperatures.

During the soak (warming) phases, researchers found that the roof temperature of the silver car was up to 45°C cooler than the black car’s roof. Also, the cabin air of the silver car was about 10°F cooler.

Next, the researchers developed a thermal model to predict how much air conditioning capacity would be needed meet the industry standard of bringing the cabin temperature to 77°F within 30 minutes. The analysis predicted that the silver car would require 13% less AC capacity than the black car to meet the standard. Thus, light colored cars can be built with smaller air conditioning units, while imparting the same level of comfort to the delicate beings within.

Other benefits could accrue with smaller AC units. Using a simulation tool called ADVISOR, the researchers modeled fuel consumption and emissions for typical driving scenarios including highway, city and a “transient driving cycle” (does that mean suburbs?). The simulation shows that using a smaller AC unit, which a white or silver car would allow, could increase fuel economy by about two percent, while reducing CO₂ by about two percent and other emissions by about one percent.

There are about 25 million registered cars in the state of California, so even modest improvements in efficiency and emissions output can multiply out to some pretty big numbers. Now, too, fleet managers can quantify the value of color as they replace their inventories.

To paraphrase the late crooner Nat King Cole, “Straighten up and buy light!”

Coincidentally, DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy just released a Vehicle Cost Calculator and widget to help consumers, fleet managers, and government officials to compare energy-saving vehicles. The widget does not ask for the car’s color, though.

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Here’s what we are hearing:

Duo’s chemistry makes it possible: natural gas produced from biomass

H.C. Starck and Clausthaler Umwelttechnik-Institut (Germany) have joined forces to successfully develop a completely new generation of catalyzers and process technology for the production of substitute natural gas from biomass as a renewable energy source. The two groups have engineered a range of catalyzers with an oxide base containing cobalt, molybdenum, and aluminum, which have been successfully tested under laboratory and pilot plant conditions. The catalyzers proved to be robust and reclaimable, even under the most unfavorable conditions, having achieved high yields with which the synthesis of substitute natural gas is possible.

Indiana lands turbine blade company

A wind turbine blade manufacturer plans to open two facilities in southern Indiana with intentions of creating up to 400 jobs by 2014. Gov. Mitch Daniels has announced a two-phased project involving GBT USA Inc., a unit of Netherlands-based Global Blade Technology. The company is leasing space at the former Whirlpool plant in Evansville for an engineering design and production facility, which the city says will have nearly 40 employees by next year. The Indiana Economic Development Corp. says GBT also plans to build an additional southern Indiana facility in 2013 to produce composite rotor blades for wind turbine generators.

Company’s ceramic bearings offer flexibility to automation and advanced manufacturing industries

Boca Bearing Company is introducing a new line of full ceramic bearings, ceramic hybrid bearings and lubricants catered towards the automation and advanced manufacturing industries. Its ceramic bearings can be used in varieties of manufacturing environments ranging from extreme temperatures, high speeds to heavy loads. Ceramic hybrid ball bearings use steel races and ceramic balls. Ceramic balls weigh up to 40% less than steel balls. This reduces centrifugal loading and skidding, so hybrid ceramic bearings can operate up to 50% faster than conventional bearings. This means that the outer race groove exerts less force inward against the ball as the bearing spins. This reduction in force reduces the friction and rolling resistance. The lighter ball allows the bearing to spin faster, and uses less energy to maintain its speed. Ceramic hybrid ball bearings have ceramic balls in place of steel balls. They are constructed with steel inner and outer rings, ceramic balls and are known as hybrids.

MesoCoat Inc. opens new metal cladding and coating facility with one of the most powerful arc lamps

MesoCoat Inc. currently occupies two facilities in Ohio with a third 11,000 sq. ft. facility under-construction (expected production start date, Jan. 2012). This new Eastlake facility will be their fourth facility in Ohio within a 5 mile radius. It will primarily be used for cladding plates and components for the oil and gas, mining, and shipbuilding industries. The facility is designed to accommodate two metal fusion cladding lines for CermaClad and thermal spray coating cells for PComP, including a metallurgical and analytical lab. At this facility, MesoCoat will be installing a 600 kW fusion cladding arc lamp system, one of the most powerful arc lamps ever manufactured. MesoCoat acquired this 600 kW arc lamp under a joint development agreement with a multinational heavy equipment manufacturer; where MesoCoat will work towards developing wear and corrosion-resistant cladding using the arc lamp for equipment and components manufactured by them.

Toyota center announces new projects and partnerships with leading US academic and research institutions

Toyota’s Collaborative Safety Research Center today announced 10 new research initiatives and new research agreements with six leading North American universities and research institutions to enhance the development, testing and implementation of new automotive safety innovations across North America. The institutions include MIT’s AgeLab, the Transportation Active Safety Institute, Indiana University/Purdue University Indianapolis, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University,
Wake Forest School of Medicine, Washtenaw Area Transportation Study and Wayne State University School of Medicine.

CoorsTek acquires advanced ceramics business from BAE Systems

CoorsTek, the world’s largest technical ceramics manufacturer, today officially announced the purchase of BAE Systems’ Vista, California advanced ceramics facilities. These three facilities total 106,000 square feet - adding to the more than three million square feet of manufacturing floor space already in place worldwide. These facilities develop and fabricate lightweight ceramic armor systems, semiconductor components and assemblies and industrial components. Specifically, they manufacture hot-pressed boron carbides, silicon carbides, aluminum nitrides and other advanced ceramic materials.

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