Materials
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Aerographite claims title of World's Lightest Solid Material
A microscope image of aerographite, which is now officially the world's lightest solid material (Image: Technical University of Hamburg) While they were each once hailed as the lightest solid material ever made, metallic microlattice and aerogel have now been moved back to second and third place (respectively), with aerographite taking the crown. Developed by a team from the Technical University of Hamburg and Germany’s University of Kiel, the material is composed of 99.99 percent air, along with a three-dimensional network of porous carbon nanotubes that were grown into each other.
The diatom Coscinodiscus wailesii has shells that are built out of several layers of silica. Pores and patterns form cylinders that absorb all light without letting any out. (Photo: Anita Fossdal/SINTEF Materials and Chemistry)
A bright future – with algae
Antifouling paints are intended to keep hulls beneath the waterline free of barnacles, seaweed and other organisms, but traditional paints are also devastating on marine environments. (Photo: Colourbox) Boaters getting their pleasure craft ready for the summer season know that barnacles, algae and other marine organisms love to attach to any part of the vessel below the waterline.
High-tech antifouling paint
Anti Wi-Fi Wallpaper To Go On Sale In 2013, Costs A Tad More Than Normal Ones
A new type of wallpaper, which has been developed by scientists from the "institut polytechnique Grenoble INP" and the "Centre Technique du Papier", will go on sale in 2013 after a Finnish firm, Ahlstrom acquired the license. What looks like a bog standard wallpaper roll actually contains silver particles that allows it to filter out up to three different frequencies simultaneously. It is not the first time that such a technology has surfaced.Non-glare nanotextured multifunctional glass repels water and dust
Glass has a unique look - despite its clarity you can tell there is a material there by the way it reflects light, and that it isn't plastic or crystal.
Alcoa announces "smog-eating" architectural panels
A high-magnification photo of a sand grain containing titanium dioxide in the form of rutile (Photo: Bob Richmond via Flickr)
A Hong Kong company is selling 100% biodegradable fast food containers, made from waste straw left over after wheat harvesting (Photo via Shutterstock ) Image Gallery (2 images)
Biodegradable fast food containers made from waste straw
EBIT system promises stronger, cheaper plastic parts
EBIT is based around an extrusion blow-molding platform, with an added injection-molding unit
Research currently underway at MIT’s Distributed Robotic Laboratory (DRL) could lead to an innovative replicative manufacturing technique with the disruptive potential equal to that of 3D printing. Imagine a sand-like material that could autonomously assemble itself into a replica of any object encased within. Incredible though this may sound, the DRL researchers have already managed to build a large scale proof-of-concept, with 10-mm cubes acting as the grains.
Self-sculpting smart sand could assemble itself into solid replicas of objects
Polyurethane composite could replace steel or aluminum in some applications
The diesel engine housing, made using the new composite material A consortium of German research groups has created a new sandwich-type material that they claim offers strength similar to that of steel or aluminum, yet is significantly lighter and less expensive. It consists of a honeycomb-structured paper core, with glass fiber-reinforced layers of polyurethane on the outsides.Tomorrow's carbon fiber could be made from plastic bags
Some of the carbon fiber shapes, created out of polyethylene using Oak Ridge's new technique Thanks to research currently being conducted at the U.S. Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory, our unwanted plastic bags may one day be recycled into carbon fiber.Piezolelectric graphene could have wide-reaching applications
Scientists have succeeded in endowing graphene with yet another useful property.Almost something straight out of the future NeverWet from Ross Nanotechnology has created what appears to be Rain-X for your sneakers.
Superhydrophobic Technology repels liquid off your shoes | NSB
Technology :: Extreme Tech :: March 15, 2012 :: :: Email :: Print Paper sensors change color from blue to pink within 30 seconds of exposure to trace amounts of the toxic gas