Science and Enterprise

Tag: materials science

  • Binding Process Developed for Antimicrobial Surfaces

    An undergraduate research project at Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Massachusetts led to creation of process to bind antimicrobial peptides to gold and silicon surfaces. The students, working under the direction of chemical engineering professor Terri Camesano, published their findings in a recent issue of the journal ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces (paid subscription required). The…

  • Membrane Technology to be Studied for Industrial Processes

    Engineers and materials scientists at University of Minnesota in Minneapolis received funding from the U.S. Department of Energy to develop membrane technology for energy-efficient separations in a range of process industries. The three-year, $1.8 million grant from the Advanced Research Projects Agency–Energy (ARPA-E) aims to adapt lab research on nanotechnology for membranes that can improve…

  • Process Developed to Grow Carbon Nanotubes on Graphene

    Researchers from Rice University in Houston developed a method of growing seamless carbon nanotubes on graphene, with a high surface area and electric conductivity. The team that included members from Tianjin University in China and University of Texas at San Antonio published their findings today in the journal Nature Communications (paid subscription required). James Tour…

  • Electric Bus Developer Lands $23 Million in Series B Funds

    Proterra Inc. in Greenville, South Carolina, a developer of electric buses for public transportation, secured $23 million in series B funds, the second round of venture financing after initial start-up. New investor Hennessey Capital led the round, with new investor NMT Capital, and current investors Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, GM Ventures, Mitsui & Co.…

  • Process Devised to Reinforce Injectable Hydrogels in Body

    Chemical engineers at Massachusetts Institute of Technology developed a way to add structure to hydrogels injected in the body as treatments, to prevent them from liquifying. The team led by MIT engineering professor Bradley Olsen (pictured left) published its findings recently in an online issue of the journal Advanced Functional Materials; paid subscription required. Olsen,…

  • High-Tech Sheet Fabric Developed to Reduce Bed Sore Risk

    Researchers at Empa, a scientific institute in Switzerland, the Swiss Paraplegic Centre, and Schoeller Group, an advanced textiles company also in Switzerland, created a new type of bed linen that reduces the chance of bed sores developing on immobile patients. Schoeller Group’s medical division plans to introduce the new material as a commercial product next…

  • High-Strength Muscle-Emulating Nanotech Yarn Developed

    Engineers and materials scientists from the U.S., Canada, Brazil, Australia, China, and Korea developed a super-strong yarn based on carbon nanotubes with the contracting ability of muscles. The team led by Ray Baughman of University of Texas in Dallas published its findings in this week’s issue of the journal Science (paid subscription required). The yarn…

  • Metamaterials Enhanced to Improve Invisibility Functions

    Researchers at Duke University in North Carolina improved the invisibility functions of materials engineered to deflect light waves and hide objects from view, with potential uses in fiber optic communications. Engineering graduate student Nathan Landy and professor David Smith published their findings online yesterday in the journal Nature Materials (paid subscription required). In 2006, Smith…

  • Self-Cleaning Surfaces Tested that Emulate Natural Models

    Engineers at Ohio State University in Columbus devised and tested material surfaces that clean themselves and reduce drag, based on models in nature such as shark skin and butterfly wings. Mechanical engineering professor Bharat Bhushan and doctoral candidate Gregory Bixler recently published their findings online in the journal Soft Matter (paid subscription required). Materials that…

  • Stronger, Tougher Steel Variety Developed

    Engineers at Wayne State University in Detroit developed a new type of steel that they say is stronger and more resistant to fracture, and can also resist the fatigue encountered with similar materials. The work of engineering professor Susil Putatunda, leading this research group, is supported by National Science Foundation, Michigan Initiative for Innovation and…