New reactor could save millions when making ingredients for plastics and rubber from natural gas

With oil production dropping, a process using natural gas is needed to avert a shortage of a workhorse chemical used for automotive parts, cleaning products and more

29-Mar-2024 - A new way to make an important ingredient for plastics, adhesives, carpet fibers, household cleaners and more from natural gas could reduce manufacturing costs in a post-petroleum economy by millions of dollars, thanks to a new chemical reactor designed by University of Michigan engineers. The ...

Repellent research: Ship coatings to reduce fuel, energy costs

25-Jun-2018 - It can repel water, oil, alcohol and even peanut butter. And it might save the U.S. Navy millions of dollars in ship fuel costs, reduce the amount of energy that vessels consume and improve operational efficiency. The Office of Naval Research (ONR) is sponsoring work by Dr. Anish Tuteja, an ...

A new spin on spintronics

Michigan team tests radiation-resistant spintronic material, possibly enabling electronic devices that will work in harsh environments

19-Feb-2015 - A team of researchers from the University of Michigan and Western Michigan University is exploring new materials that could yield higher computational speeds and lower power consumption, even in harsh environments.Most modern electronic circuitry relies on controlling electronic charge within a ...

Paint-on plastic electronics: Aligning polymers for high performance

26-Mar-2013 - Semiconducting polymers are an unruly bunch, but University of Michigan engineers have developed a new method for getting them in line that could pave the way for cheaper, greener, "paint-on" plastic electronics. "This is for the first time a thin-layer, conducting, highly aligned film for ...

Light twists rigid structures in unexpected nanotech finding

22-Mar-2010 - In findings that took the experimenters three years to believe, University of Michigan engineers and their collaborators have demonstrated that light itself can twist ribbons of nanoparticles. The results are published in the current edition of Science. Matter readily bends and twists light. ...

Paper strips can quickly detect toxin in drinking water

12-Jan-2010 - A strip of paper infused with carbon nanotubes can quickly and inexpensively detect a toxin produced by algae in drinking water. Engineers at the University of Michigan led the development of the new biosensor. The paper strips perform 28 times faster than the complicated method most commonly ...

Music is the engine of new U-M lab-on-a-chip device

27-Jul-2009 - Music, rather than electromechanical valves, can drive experimental samples through a lab-on-a-chip in a new system developed at the University of Michigan. This development could significantly simplify the process of conducting experiments in microfluidic devices. A lab-on-a-chip, or ...