Tag: materials science

  • University of Houston Spins-Off Nanotech Coatings Company

    A physics professor at University of Houston in Texas started a company to develop and manufacture protective coatings for industrial and consumer goods based on his research in nanotechnology. C-Voltaics, started by Houston physicist Seamus Curran, was awarded last week the Young Technology Award at the Commercialization of Micro- and Nanosystems conference in The Netherlands, according…

  • Transparent Skull Implant Devised for Laser Brain Treatments

    Engineers at University of California at Riverside developed a transparent material for implants in the skull that could allow for lasers to treat brain disorders. A team from the lab of mechanical engineering professor Guillermo Aguilar published its findings online last month in the journal Nanomedicine: Nanotechnology, Biology and Medicine (paid subscription required). The advance…

  • NIH Funding Micro-Sutures for Stem Cell Heart Muscle Repair

    Researchers at Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Massachusetts and University of Washington in Seattle are collaborating on development of tiny bio-compatible polymer threads that help stem cells repair damaged heart muscle. The work of Worcester Tech biomedical engineers Glenn Gaudette and George Pins, with Washington pathology professor Michael Laflamme is funded by a five-year $1.94 million…

  • Biomaterial Skin Patch Shows Promise as Tuberculosis Test

    Engineers at University of Washington and colleagues from the Infectious Disease Research Institute in Seattle found a patch made with material from crustacean shells can deliver a tuberculosis skin test as successfully as current needle-based methods. The findings from the lab of Washington materials scientist Marco Rolandi appear online in the journal Advanced Healthcare Materials…

  • Nanotech Window Coating Controls Building Light, Heat

    Chemists and materials scientists at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in California created a window coating of nanocrystals that can dynamically control the sunlight passing through the window and thus improve a building’s energy efficiency. The team led by Berkeley Lab’s Delia Milliron published its findings yesterday in the journal Nature (paid subscription required). The Department…

  • Nanowire Coating Boosts Bone Bonding to Implant Material

    Materials scientists and biomedical engineers at Ohio State University in Columbus designed a coating of nanowires that can help improve the bonding between human bone and implant materials. The team led by Ohio State materials scientist Sheikh Akbar published its results in this month’s issue of the journal Ceramics International (paid subscription required). The process…

  • Engineers Double Efficiency of Solar Film Cells

    Engineers and materials scientists at University of California in Los Angeles improved the design of solar cells built in a thin semi-transparent film that nearly doubles their ability to generate power. A team from the lab of engineering professor Yang Yang described its findings online in Friday’s issue of the journal Energy and Environmental Science…

  • Thin Illuminating Touch-Sensitive Electronic Film Developed

    Engineers and materials scientists at University of California in Berkeley created an interactive electronic film with a network of pressure sensors built into flexible plastic. The findings from the lab of Berkeley engineering professor Ali Javey, with colleagues from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, appear online in yesterday’s advance issue of the journal Nature Materials (paid…

  • Gold Nanoparticles Configured into Stretchable Conductors

    Engineers and physicists at University of Michigan in Ann Arbor devised a method for transforming gold nanoparticles into conductive chains that stretch to nearly six times their original length and still conduct a current. The team led by Michigan chemical engineering professor Nicholas Kotov, with participants from the Korea Basic Science Institute in Daejeon, published…

  • Foundation Funds Study of Glass Formation Processes

    A research team at University of Akron in Ohio is studying the formation of glass materials, processes that cover much more than materials found in windows. The team led by Akron polymer engineering professor David Simmons is funded by a $1 million grant from the W.M. Keck Foundation. Simmons is joined in the project by…