Surface chemistry reveals corrosive secrets

Precise Measurements are the Molecular Lens to Seeing Chemistry

18-Oct-2021 - One can easily see with the naked eye that leaving an old nail out in the rain causes rust. What does require the keen eyes and sensitive nose of microscopy and spectroscopy is observing how iron corrodes and forms new minerals, especially in water with a pinch of sodium and calcium. Thanks to a ...

3D nano-inks push industry boundaries

A new, 3D-printable polymer nanocomposite ink has incredible properties — and many applications in aerospace, medicine and electronics

28-Sep-2021 - Mechanical engineering researchers at Michigan Technological University have created a way to make a 3D-printable nanocomposite polymeric ink that uses carbon nanotubes (CNTs) — known for their high tensile strength and lightness. This revolutionary ink could replace epoxies — and understanding ...

Old mining techniques make a new way to recycle lithium batteries

06-Aug-2018 - Lei Pan's team of chemical engineering students had worked long and hard on their research project, and they were happy just to be showing their results at the People, Prosperity and the Planet (P3) competition last April in Washington, DC. What they didn't expect was to be mobbed by enthusiastic ...

From greenhouse gas to 3-D surface-microporous graphene

09-Aug-2017 - Tiny dents in the surface of graphene greatly enhances its potential as a supercapacitor. Even better, it can be made from carbon dioxide. A material scientist at Michigan Technological University invented a novel approach to take carbon dioxide and turn it into 3-D graphene with micropores ...

Spiky ferrofluid thrusters can move satellites

13-Jul-2017 - Brandon Jackson, a doctoral candidate in mechanical engineering at Michigan Technological University, has created a new computational model of an electrospray thruster using ionic liquid ferrofluid -- a promising technology for propelling small satellites through space. Specifically, Jackson ...

Bright future for energy devices

27-Dec-2016 - A little sodium goes a long way. At least that's the case in carbon-based energy technology. Specifically, embedding sodium in carbon materials can tremendously improve electrodes. A research team led by Yun Hang Hu, the Charles and Carroll McArthur Professor of materials science and engineering ...

Shaking the nanomaterials out

15-Dec-2015 - Purifying water and greening nanotechnology could be as simple as shaking a vial of water and oil. At least that's the case for a new method to clean contaminated water full of unwanted nanomaterials. Nano implies small--and that's great for use in medical devices, beauty products and ...

Shining more light on solar panels

26-Oct-2015 - Solar panels are the beacon of renewable energy, yet they are not getting as much light as they could be. Joshua Pearce from Michigan Technological University and a team from Queen's University in Canada have found a way to get more sun to shine on the panels and crank up the output by 30 percent ...

Bringing back the magic in metamaterials

23-Jul-2015 - A single drop of blood is teeming with microorganisms - imagine if we could see them, and even nanometer-sized viruses, with the naked eye. That's a real possibility with what scientists call a "perfect lens." The lens hasn't been created yet but it is a theoretical perfected optical lens made ...

Scientists spy on lithium ions

10-Jul-2013 - Lithium ion batteries are at the energetic heart of almost all things tech, from cell phones to tablets to electric vehicles. That’s because they are a proven technology, light, long-lasting and powerful. But they aren’t perfect. “You might get seven or eight hours out of your iPhone on one ...