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Machining Materials At times it can be difficult to decide which type of machining materials you need to use for your product. Does it need to be malleable? Must it possess properties that are resistant to corrosion? These are the types of questions that should be asked in the beginning stages of production for your …

This schematic diagram depicts the step-by-step of how a typical Ta7S12 ic-2D material is formed  NUS researchers have created a whole new library of atomically thin, two-dimensional (2D) materials using a novel and powerful approach of engineering the composition of transition metal dichalcogenides. Materials that are atomically thin offer a platform to explore a wide …

In an entirely new approach to making lithium-ion batteries lighter, safer and more efficient, scientists at Stanford University and the US Department of Energy’s SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory have reengineered one of the heaviest battery components – sheets of copper or aluminum foil known as current collectors – so they weigh 80% less and immediately …

Direct methanol fuel cells (DMFCs) promise efficient energy generation with low emissions but the methane oxidation reaction (MOR) on which they rely is slow. While platinum is an effective catalyst widely used in fuel cells, it can be deactivated – or poisoned – by intermediate chemical species produced during the reaction. Alternatives based on gold …

Researchers from RMIT University and the University of Queensland in Australia have demonstrated how high-frequency sound waves can have a major impact on the inner micro-structure of 3D printed alloys. In using sound vibrations to shake metal alloy grains into a tighter formation while being printed in 3D, they achieved more consistent and stronger alloys …

A new magnetic material and recording process can vastly increase data capacity Although out of sight to the majority of end users, data centers work behind the scenes to run the internet, businesses, research institutions and more. These data centers depend on high-capacity digital storage, the demand for which continues to accelerate. Researchers created a …

Using a novel optical detection system, researchers at Rice University have found that the electricity generated by temperature differences in nanoscale gold wires doesn’t appear to be affected measurably by grain boundaries placed in its way. Grain boundaries are the planes in materials where misaligned crystals meet, forcing atoms along the edge to adjust as …