The Year 2008 in Materials from MIT's Tech Review

Just reviewed and up-dated my RSS feed, tarrying on MIT's Tech Rev. Fortunately I did not give-up in face of the such advanced topics and the complexities of the underlying materials science. Note in passing the incredible revival in these metallurgical and materials fields.

You may have noticed that perseverance, "courage" is of great assistance in serendipity-good luck.

On instinct I picked a couple of stories from the MIT Tech. Rev:
(you may wish to follow this lead and find your own hopefully inspired by my unfinalised RSS approach and remarks)

Story 1: Super-Resolution Imaging and a $10 Microscope
key words which caught my a attention "low cost (10$)" and "metamaterials"

Super-Resolution Imaging and a $10 Microscope Metamaterials are usually lauded for their potential to direct light around an object, completely hiding it. This year brought the first designs for acoustic metamaterials, which will shield objects from sound. But the earliest application of metamaterials, usually made up of metals carefully structured on the nano- or microscale to tailor their interactions with light, is likely to be in super-resolution imaging. Light microscopes with resolutions on the scale of biological molecules will help biologists understand not just what proteins are at work in diseased cells, but also how they interact with other molecules to cause disease. Nicholas Fang of the University of Illinois is using metamaterials made up of metals structured on the nanoscale to make superlenses, which increase the resolution of biological light microscopes by an order of magnitude.

Read More...


Story 2. Tough, Strong, and Sticky
Key words new ceramics - negative overplayed "gecko" almost made me skip this

Some of the year's coolest new materials were made possible by mimicking the nanoscale features of natural structures. For years, researchers have been trying to make materials that are as tough as nacre, the material that lines abalone shells, with limited success. This year, materials scientists created a new ceramic that's better than nacre; it could eventually be used as a structural material for buildings and vehicles. Like nacre, the new ceramic is a composite of a hard material and a gluey one. Researchers have also finally outdone the gecko, which uses arrays of nanoscale hairs on its paws to scale walls and ceilings. Arrays of carbon nanotubes with two layers--one vertically aligned, the other tangled--mimic gecko-foot structures but are 10 times as sticky.


As one thing leads to another -> Other Top Choice Topics are:
Graphene, the strongest material ever, the tip of an atomic force microscope!

Nanomedicine and Nanomaterials Safety.
Hey there!
Two studies in mice suggested that carbon nanotubes could behave like asbestos in the lungs, causing cancer.
Read More...

New Years Resolution Time: Systems - Synergy 4 Motivation, Innovation in Our Professional Disciplines: Materials-Minerals-Mining.

Materials Science, Technology and Engineering news feed is moving fast.

On the contrary slower moving realisation, seldom lives-up to expectations. Arguably this can result in a lowering of expectations with an accompanying lowering of standards?

Now is the time for making New Years Resolutions - Few will regret the end to 2008!

Someone who wished to remain anonymous, but granted me permission to publish, recently wrote in a personal and confidential document the following statements:

"NB. Currently Studying Opportunities for a new concept(s) for CO2 absorption with simultaneous production of Hydrogen, industrially oriented; Steelmaking, mining and metallurgical extraction =>energy production, distribution & control of industrial gas emissions:

From local (motivation) to global...

Systems /Synergy 4 Approach:
-click to enlarge the Venn Diag image opposite.

1. Focus: CCS-Carbon, Capture & Storage,
2.Mining (Coal)– Motivation, Coal reserves France(58)-Scotland, Ayrshire...
3.Coal Powered Electricity & Heat generation,
4.Metallurgy/Materials/Advanced Processes,

It is common knowledge that immediate action is required and plebiscited. The 2009 clean economy appears to be the time to start -get over this crises stuff and no hedging!

One of my resolutions will be to report on these fields and contribute as far as my professional skills permit.

I strongly believe a concurrent engineering approach is the best way forward, if the coal burning lobby is to avoid being named and shamed globally!

Having failed to post regularly on the many advances during 2008 I shall echo a couple of news items from our pro-association IOM3 (UK)



1. Peridotite

Peridotite carbonation can be accelerated via drilling, hydraulic fracture, input of purified CO2 at elevated pressure, and, in particular, increased temperature at depth. After an initial heating step, CO2 pumped at 25 or 30 °C can be heated by exothermic carbonation reactions that sustain high temperature and rapid reaction rates at depth with little expenditure of energy. In situ carbonation of peridotite could consume >1 billion tons of CO2 per year in Oman alone, affording a low-cost, safe, and permanent method to capture and store atmospheric CO2.

ref: In situ carbonation of peridotite for CO2 storage,PNAS By Peter B. Kelemen and Jürg Matter of the Lamont–Doherty Earth Observatory, Columbia University, Palisades, NY 10964

NB. P.B.K. and J.M. have a preliminary patent filing for the technique of heating peridotite to achieve self-sustaining, rapid carbonation. Good luck with the realisations.

2. Coal of Africa.
A new coal mine in RSA-Republic of South Africa has started production. The company aims to Produce 5-6 MT/y, 70% for exportation.

Metallurgy and Mechanical Engineering Journal of the Brazilian Society of Mechanical Sciences and Engineering

Serendipity or rather signing-up for a Google Alert for the new record breaking R and D achievement, Inverse Temperature HSLA-High Strength Low Alloy Steels, (cf. my earlier post - challenge) introduced me to the excellent, Journal of the Brazilian Society of Mechanical Sciences and Engineering.

Several papers have already been brought to my attention. It is with pleasure that I invite colleagues to join me in reading their favourite subjects-alerts not forgetting to support Brazil's efforts to save the planets rain-forests - by the excellence of our professional skills in metallurgical exergy and information-entropy theory -fairly shared.

NB. Free online with the usual restrictions (for personal use etc. cf policy) The journal should be abbreviated in citations as J. Braz. Soc. Mech. Sci. & Eng.

Good luck, make good use of this resource and best wishes over the festive season and beyond.

PNAS Trial cf side bar -scroll down

Enjoy free first class science, technology and engineering, peer reviewed reading.

Some recent materials titles[Link]

Full list of engineering & Physical Science Themes [Links]



Yours in science, technology, engineering & medecine.

Materials Science and Technology, Feb. 1985, Vol 1- 1st Issue.

Abstract:

Work which has helped to improve vacuum induction melting (VIM) procedures (radically) for alloy 718 is described. Three aspects of melting in a 5Tonne industrial VIM furnace are considered: oxygen control by carbon deoxidation; oxygen and sulphur control by alkaline earth and rare earth additions; and the effect of these additions on melt cleanness, with respect to virgin and remelt charge materials, on both virgin - and remelt-charged heats. Measured and calculated activity coefficients are compared. In the absence of aluminium, good agreement is found between measured and calculated values. The fact that measured activity coefficients for a complex nickel-based superalloy agree well with predictions based on data for dilute iron alloys could indicate that such data may be useful for predicting oxygen behaviour in a wide range of iron based and to some extent nickel-based alloys. A method for evaluating alkaline earth and rare earth additives in relation to bath sulphur content is given, together with the rate law for removal of excess residual additives. The effect of these procedures on inclusion density and morphology is discussed.

Such materials are typically poured into 500mm diam electrodes and remelted by Vacuum Arc Remelting (VAR) or Electro-Slag Remelting (ESR) This is known within the industry as VIM+VAR or VIM +ESR processing.

Naturally all remelted materials were fully analysed and chemically, macro- and micro-structurally and examined. Ultrasonics are typically performed on forged bars. Both virgin & remelt routes were qualified for aero-engine applications - a first within the aeronautic and space-industries.

More information, if necessary, may be obtained upon request.

I would naturally be pleased to hear of evolutions, from raw material prices & melting (increased furnace size & reduction of unit costs) to final applications such as in aero-engines (CFM56, RR, Pratt & Whitney families ...) all possible realisations based upon this and similar work.

Materials Science and Technology Feb. 2008

Metallurgical Modelling

Having wrestled on the shop floor as a metallurgist, products and advanced process engineering, I have come to appreciate, immensely, all manner of metallurgical modelling, mathematical & physical for it's power to reduce; trial & error, scrapped melts & products, extensive end product controls-NDT & DT and last but not least, the associated corporate and "corporal stress levels"!

Typically, advanced process would be: EAF, AIM, VIM,VAR,ESR, Melting for Ultra-clean alloys & powders. These processes are known to respond well to difficult chemical alloy formulations, and stringent quality controls to the highest specifications and client requirements. Equally, the materials would cover a complete spectrum of special steels and alloys, including: Aircraft undercarriage HSLA steels, Iron-Nickels alloys for cryogenic and magnetic applications, Corrosion resistant stainless, 18Cr/10Ni type and higher or the notoriously difficult to heat-treat Fe-Cr , through to Nickel or Cobalt based Superalloys for aeroengine or nuclear applications.

It is with pleasure that I echo IOM3's member subscribed Journal on metallurgical and materials fundamentals Materials Science & Technology published by Maney in Leeds and underline four papers on mathematical modelling:

Mathematical models in materials science pp. 128-136(9) Author: Bhadeshia, H.K.D.H. ant

Integrated modelling in materials and process technology pp. 137-148(12) Author: Hattel, J.H.

Thermodynamic and kinetic modelling: creep resistant materials pp. 149-158(10) Authors: Hald, J.; Korcakova, L.; Danielsen, H.K.; Dahl, K.V.

Nitrogen diffusion and nitrogen depth profiles in expanded austenite: experimental assessment, numerical simulation and role of stress pp. 159-167(9) Authors: Christiansen, T.; Dahl, K.V.; Somers, M.A.J.

I invite you to join me in reading these and the many other available papers and look forward to your comments either in the IOM3 house journals eg. MW "Letters to the Editor" or on my personal blogs. Please do not hesitate to communicate your web-logs, comments and suggestions or to request information on how-to start your own log.

Remember though, "in the days of thy youth", "It's not worth dying for!"

Thanks for your attention.