Tag: materials science
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Display Surface Developed from Air-Water Interaction
University researchers in Finland and the U.K., and Nokia Research Center in the U.K., have developed an optical display technology based on the ability of a surface structure to repel water. The findings of the team led by physicist Robin Ras (pictured left) of Aalto University in Finland appear online this week in the journal…
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Grant to Fund Research on Earthquakes, Building Design
Engineers at University of California in Los Angeles (UCLA) and UC-Berkeley will study the impact of building construction practices, particularly the design and performance of structural walls, on resisting earthquake damage. The team led by UCLA civil and environmental engineering professor John Wallace is funded by a $1 million grant from the National Science Foundation’s…
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Universities Awarded Clean Coal Research Grants
The U.S. Department of Energy says 10 universities will receive grants for research on the development of clean coal technologies. Each grant of about $300,000 will be supplemented with additional funds from the schools, for a total research budget of $3.1 million. The grants are expected to support research on high-pressure corrosion-resistant alloys, protective coatings,…
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Canadian Universities Get $22M for Automotive Research
The AUTO21 Network of Centres of Excellence, a Canadian auto industry research program, will get an infusion of $22 million to fund a series of new projects at Canadian universities for the next two years. The Canadian government will contribute $10 million to the fund, with manufacturers, parts makers, and materials suppliers proving the remainder.…
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Nanotech Fabrication Process Developed for Smaller Chips
Engineers at Stanford University and two Silicon Valley companies in California have devised a method of creating contact hole patterns for semiconductors that can reduce the size of logic and memory chips, while maintaining their fabrication accuracy. The findings of the team led by Stanford engineering professor H.-S. Philip Wong (pictured left) appear online in the…
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Venture Fund Raises $50M for Cleantech, Materials Start-Ups
Pangaea Ventures Ltd. in Vancouver, British Columbia has raised $US 50 million for its Pangaea Ventures Fund III that aims to invest in early-stage cleantech companies using advanced materials technologies. Pangaea says the new investment fund expects to eventually raise $100 million. The limited partners in the fund are corporate and private-equity venture investors including…
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Faster, Higher Capacity Memory Chip Developed
Engineers at University College London (UCL), with colleagues in France and Spain, have developed a silicon oxide memory chip that is faster can operate in ambient conditions. The discovery is described online in the Journal of Applied Physics (paid subscription required), and a patent has been filed for the technology. The team led by UCL…
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Bay Area Consortium to Fund Large-Scale Solar R&D
The Bay Area Photovoltaic Consortium (BAPVC) unveiled its first research grants aimed at making utility-scale solar power cost-competitive by the end of the decade. The new funds from the consortium — an industry-backed venture led by Stanford University and the University of California-Berkeley — total $7.5 million. The grants will support 18 projects at BAPVC…
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Graphene as Rust-Proof Coating for Steel in Development
Chemistry researchers from University at Buffalo in New York are developing a process for rust-proofing steel using a graphene-based composite as a coating. The Indian steel manufacturer Tata Steel is participating in the research by chemistry professor Sarbajit Banerjee and doctoral candidate Robert Dennis. In early experiments, Banerjee and Dennis were able to increase the…
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LED Process Adapts Ultraviolet Light to Kill Pathogens
Researchers from North Carolina and Japan have devised a light-emitting diode (LED) process that uses ultraviolet (UV) light to kill pathogens such as bacteria and viruses. Their discoveries are described in the May issue of the journal Applied Physics Letters (paid subscription required). The research team included materials scientists and engineers from North Carolina State…