The February 2009 issue of Materials Science and Technology contains the proceedings of the symposium on Developments in superallys held in memory of the late Professor Malcolm McLean.
Flame-retardant coatings and anti-bacterial bedsheets are just two outputs of a pan-European research project to develop multifunctional products from paper and textiles for buildings, transport, health and personal protection.
As fusion power becomes more of a reality, scientists at the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority are working against the clock to develop materials that can handle its extreme conditions.
Scientists in the USA are exploring pore-free and fully-dense neodymium-doped yttrium aluminium garnet (Nd:YAG) advanced ceramics. They believe these optically transparent materials could eventually replace YAG crystals in lasers for improved quality.
A UK-based scientist is exploring low temperature solvothermal synthesis in an attempt to create materials with improved thermoelectric efficiency for power generation and cooling in electronics.
A high performance concrete designed to reduce the impact of bomb blasts is being investigated by engineers at the University of Liverpool, UK. The material is reinforced with steel fibres and has already been employed in slender footbridges and government buildings in Australia.
