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Materials World July 2007

Materials and energy is the theme of the July issue of Materials World. Our feature stories look at the research being conducted on fuel cells by the UK’s National Physical Laboratory, as well as efforts by Imperial College London, UK, the Materials UK Energy Materials Working Group and QinetiQ to develop new materials to meet 21st century energy needs. In other feature stories, Michael Forrest investigates the future of gold, platinum and Scottish coal, while a group of international scientists discuss finding a replacement to traditional lead-tin solder.

In our news section, Meagan Ellis reports on ecological housing innovations at the OFFSITE 2007 conference, while Rupal Mehta caught up with the research team at the UK’s Northwest Composites Centre. In other news, the Materials World team reports on a lithium-ion battery separator that helps prevent explosions, new austenitic stainless steels that can withstand higher temperatures, and a 3D plasma coating technique that will keep artery stents from clogging.

 

News

3D plasma coating technique prevents stents from clogging

Plasma-coated stent

Researchers at the University of Ulster, UK, have developed a 3D plasma coating technique to prevent stents from developing neointima, where thick muscle tissue grows over the surface, leading to the blood vessel narrowing again. Thin films of carbon, ceramics and platinum are coated using the new method to prevent clogging.

Materials World Magazine, 30 Jun 2007

Heating up austenitic stainless steels

Researchers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, USA, claim to have developed inexpensive austenitic stainless steels that can withstand higher temperatures while maintaing creep strength and oxidation resistance by introducing aluminium into composition. The drive towards higher operating temperatures, while maintaining creep stremnght and oxidation resistance by introducing aluminium into its composition. that employ austenitic stainless steels in turbine recuperators, heat exchangers, piping and tubing.

Materials World Magazine, 30 Jun 2007

New quantum dots can amplify light for tunable lasers

Researchers at Los Alamos National Laboratory, New Mexico, USA, have engineered a new version of quantum dots (semiconductor nanocrystals) that can amplify light for cheaper and tunable lasers at a range of wavelenghts at a range of wavelengths.

Materials World Magazine, 30 Jun 2007

Polystyrene nanospheres replace toxic dyes to produce structural colours

With increasing concerns about the use of traditional dyes on the environment, materials that use polysytene nanospheres rather than toxic dyes to produce colour have been the subject of research by scientists at the University of Southampton, UK. The sphere size controls the wavelength which light is reflected and scattered from the film, offering new possibilities for structural colours. The materials have already attracted the interest of Unilever, Kodak, Merck and Degussa for applications ranging from packaging to automotives.

Materials World Magazine, 30 Jun 2007

Flame-retardant polymer

Scientists from the University of Massachusetts Amherst, USA, have created a flame-retardant synthetic polymer that does not require conventional and potentially harmful halogen additives. The team aims to apply the material in the interior of aircraft and ships.

Materials World Magazine, 30 Jun 2007

Safety films for batteries

Electrode separators made from porous polymers that help prevent lithium-ion batteries from exploding at high temperatures have been created by Tonen Chemical Corporation, in Japan. This could help use of batteries in hyybrid and electric vehicles.

Materials World Magazine, 30 Jun 2007

Mouldable metals' created using nanocrystals

A method of assembling metal nanoparticles into a clay-like structure that can be moulded and fired has been developed by researchers at Northwestern University, Chicago, USA. Paternal applications include flexible electronics.

Materials World Magazine, 30 Jun 2007

Features

Going for gold — Current trends in gold

The latest figures in the World Gold Council's quarterly report Gold Demand Trends show demand for gold has risen from the first quarter from 2006 to 2007. Richard Holliday of the World Gold Council talks about the current trends in the demand for gold jewellery, the emerging technologies that employ gold and its use as an investment.

Materials World Magazine, 30 Jun 2007

Going platinum – Recycled platinum meets high demand

Platinum is a rare metal. The main use of platinum is in the manufacture of autocatalysts. The second largests use is in jewellery, and then there is its use in the electronic, chemical and refining industries. Due to the high demand for platinum its price has risen, and this has highlighted the need for recycling and the switch to other precious group metals such as palladium.

Materials World Magazine, 30 Jun 2007

Lead-free soldering - The search for lead-free solder materials

Due to EU legislation (RoHS) on the need to remove hazardous substances and importantly toxic lead from electrical and electronic equipment there is a search for a replacement for traditional lead-tin solder. In 2001 Professors Herbert Ipser and Adolf Mikula, University of Vienna, Austria, submitted a proposal to COST, the European Cooperation in the field of Scientific and Technical Research, on research efforts to find lead-free solder materials.

Materials World Magazine, 30 Jun 2007

Searching for solutions - alternative energy sources

The importance of the improvement of energy technologies. The article highlights issues such as wasting energy, the use of renewable energy sources, controlling energy by storage and transportation, and possibilities for future use.

Materials World Magazine, 30 Jun 2007

Materials for energy – Energy materials research at Imperial

Research projects involve a multi-disciplinary approach into systems and processes that produce energy. Topics of study include: fuel cells, coal and biomass combustion, gas turbines, solar cells, nuclear power and alloy processing.

Materials World Magazine, 30 Jun 2007

Powering the nation - MatUK's Energy Materials Working Group

An outline of the recommendations of the Materials Innovation and Growth Team report of 2006. Materials UK's plan is to implement a long-term national materials strategy for energy materials in the UK.

Materials World Magazine, 30 Jun 2007

Fuel of promise – Research into fuel cells

Due to the rise in future energy needs and dwindling supplies of fossil fuels research investment is needed in alternative fuels. Fuel cells are touted as a possible solution. The UK's National Physical Laboratory is stepping up research in an attempt to commercialise fuel cells, and highlights the problem of the technology, the relatively high cost of the materials to complex engineering challenges.

Materials World Magazine, 30 Jun 2007

Coal to the fore – Scottish coal mining

Lower capacity usage of alternative fuel sources means that the role of coal will increase until renewables can reach a higher proportion of supply or nuclear power is expanded.

Materials World Magazine, 30 Jun 2007

Material Matters

Manufacturing a change – The decline of engineering, science and manufacturing in the UK

Jack Harris laments the public's general lack of understanding of science and risks, and how manufacturers based in the UK are moving to the developing world and Europe.
Materials World Magazine, 01 Jul 2007

Book reviews

Modern Techniques for Characterizing Magnetic Materials

Materials World Magazine, 30 Jun 2007

2005 Heavy Minerals Conference Proceedings

Materials World Magazine, 30 Jun 2007

ASM Handbook Volume 13B Corrosion – Materials

Materials World Magazine, 30 Jun 2007