HEADLINES ARCHIVE
Improving Catalyst Efficiency for Clean Industries
Platinum is used as a catalyst to facilitate chemical reactions for many common products and processes, such as converting carbon monoxide to carbon dioxide in catalytic converters.
Honda and Daido Steel Develop Hybrid Car Motor Free of Heavy Rare Earth Metals
A reduction in the use of heavy rare earth elements has been one of the major challenges needing to be addressed to use neodymium magnets in the drive motors of hybrid vehicles.
Fuel-Efficient Engines May Not Emit Fewer Harmful Emissions
Although GDI engines emit lower levels of CO2, they emit more black carbon, as well as toxic volatile organic compounds, such as benzene and toluene.
Ethane-Fueled Engine Readied for Use in LEG Carriers
The ME-GI engine gives ship owners and operators the option of utilizing gas or fuel depending on relative price and availability, as well as environmental considerations.
BAE Systems Looks at "Growing" UAVs in Chemistry Labs
A "Chemputer," now under development at the University of Glasgow, could enable advanced chemical processes to grow aircraft and their complex electronic systems.
Titanium-Gold Alloy Is Up to 4x Harder Than Steel
The compound is neither difficult to make nor is it a new material.
Cookstove Program Fails to Deliver Hoped-For Carbon Cuts
Indoor air pollution was only moderately lower for the new stoves than for traditional stoves.
Bendable Water Pipeline Passes Quake Tests
Wave features help absorb large ground deformation during earthquakes and landslides.
Fast, Automated Process to Quantify Water Content of Drugs
A new way to quantify water content in solid pharmaceutical drugs is said to be faster, cheaper and more accurate than conventional method.
Predicting How Semiconductors Weather Abuse
New semiconductors are needed that can more efficiently absorb light and drive the reactions that allow storage of energy from the sun in chemical bonds, says Berkeley Lab scientist Jeff Sharp.
Tool Transforms Flat Materials Into 3D Shapes
The tool enables designers to exploit the ability of certain materials to expand uniformly in two dimensions.
Cathode Materials' Performance Improved by Controlling Oxygen Activity
The discovery sheds light on how changing the oxygen composition of lithium-rich cathode materials could improve battery performance in high-energy applications such as electric vehicles.
Electrical Impedance Tomography Used to Monitor Building and Bridge Health
While EIT has been used as a noninvasive medical imaging technique since the 1980s, it has largely been overlooked by the structural health monitoring community.
Mussel Inspires Creation of Biologically Active Titanium Surface
Japanese scientists have successfully attached a biologically active molecule to a titanium surface, paving the way for implants that can be more biologically beneficial.
Penn Engineers Develop $2 Portable Zika Test
Rapid, accurate diagnosis is especially important for pregnant women who may be infected. However, the only currently approved tests for the virus require highly sensitive laboratory equipment.
San Francisco Bans Sale of Polystyrene Foam in Packaging and Food Service Ware
According to the ordinance, polystyrene foam breaks down into smaller, non-biodegradable pieces that are often mistaken for fish eggs by seabirds and other marine life.
Household Fuels Exceed Power Plants and Cars as Sources of Beijing Smog
Households account for about 18% of total energy use in the Beijing region but produce 50% of black carbon emissions and 69% of organic carbon emissions.
"Starbons" Could Capture 65% More Carbon Than Existing Methods
The synthetic makeup of Starbons—a family of mesoporous materials derived from polysaccharides—gives them greater absorption than conventional methods, the researchers say.
Hydrogel That Doesn't Dry Out Could Be Used for Artificial Skin
The researchers took inspiration for the design from human skin, which is composed of an outer epidermis layer bonded to an underlying dermis layer.
Linde Offers a Novel Approach to Gas Injection Molding
The automotive market is a target for the process which replaces nitrogen with carbon dioxide and may offer efficiency improvements.