Non-melt solid-state consolidation, explored by scientists at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), USA, could produce low-cost titanium components made using powder metallurgy for brake rotors, joint replacements and armour for military vehicles.

Sustainpack is a European research conglomerate that hopes to encourage widespread use of ‘renewable’ natural fibres in paper and board in packaging, by adding value and functionality. The initiative, a vast undertaking into the materials science of these fibres, comprised 35 European partners from 13 countries.

Vehicles built and delivered to order in five days could be possible within a decade thanks to the European Intelligent Logistics for Innovative Product Technologies project. Working with industry, the team has created a modular car design that can be manufactured quickly using plastics and steel.

Scientists at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, USA, claim to have developed the first gallium nitride metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor (GaN MOSFET). They hope to exploit the higher breakdown voltages and more efficient electric energy conversion capabilities of GaN to replace silicon MOSFETs for more powerful and efficient electronic devices that can operate in extreme conditions.

Endorsed by the UK Institute of Engineering and Technology, the E3 Academy aims to encourage more UK undergraduates to take up electrical and energy engineering courses by offering them corporate sponsorships.

The UK London Metal Exchange (LME) adjusted its plastics futures contracts for polypropylene and linear low-density polyethylene on 28 April to make trading and price risk management more accessible.

The HiPerNano Sector Focus Group was launched on 19 May 2008 in London, UK, at a seminar on ‘High Performance Nano-Enhanced Materials for Extreme Environments’. The Focus Group aims to define an industry-led agenda down the supply chain to steer the KTN's activities for high performance engineering.

A water barrier film that is reportedly 1,000 times more effective than other technologies on the market has been developed by researchers at the Institute of Materials Reseach and Engineering (IMRE) in Singapore. By using metal nanoparticles suspended in a monomer solvent, sensitive devices like organic light emitting diodes and solar cells could be protected from moisture damage.

The UK National Nuclear Laboratory, to be headquartered at the Sellafield nuclear site, UK, will conduct R&D and equip the next generation of nuclear workers.

Conclusions of the UK Elastomer Roadmap on future R&D activities and industry priorities were presented to delegates of the third Annual Rubber Seminar, ‘From Nano to Micro’, which was held on 19 May in Manchester, UK. key recommendations include more funding for recycling programmes, increased contact with schools to improve recruitment, a database of elastomer research institutions and training centres, better methods for predicting the lifetime of products, and further exploration of smart elastomers such as gecko tape.

Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Microelectronic Circuits and Systems in Duisburg, Germany have developed a wireless implant that can partially restore sight to people blinded by a retinal disease that destroys light sensitive cells but leaves nerve cells intact.

The UK Waste & Resources Action Programme (WRAP) announced on 5 June 2008 that mixed plastics can be successfully recycled in the UK both economically and using available technologies at an event in London, UK. However, the main question asked by delegates was whether the UK’s local authorities would allow such recycling to take place?