Engineering TV : Chemical

Micromuscle

CurtisEllzey — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 14:00:00 GMT

Electroactive polymers (EAP) are an emerging class of materials with many new revolutionary properties. One of the main advantages of electroactive polymers is the possibility to electrically control and fine-tune their behavior and properties. Using Micromuscle EAP technology, a wide variety of small moving components can be constructed. The possibility to create moving structures and exert force enables new functionality for medical devices and other life science products. For more information, go to: Micromuscle.

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Paragon Dive System

CurtisEllzey — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 14:06:00 GMT
The Paragon Dive System isolates a diver in a “space-suit like environment”, incorporating a Return Surface Exhaust design and upgraded materials, completely protecting divers from contaminants and hazardous materials present in their surrounding environment. The US Navy funded Paragon to redesign their existing surface supplied diving system because of the health risks posed to divers operating in contaminated water environments such as the USS Cole incident and Hurricane Katrina. Also watch this episode: Constellation Space Suit. For more information, go to: Paragon Space Development Corporation.

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Dermasol Thermoplastic Elastomer

CurtisEllzey — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 15:00:00 GMT
Dermasol is a new thermoplastic elastomer that feels remarkably like real human flesh. It can be made in any color (including clear), any shape and almost any durometer (hardness). It is especially useful for simulating tissue in organs and body structures for practicing operations and medical training. For over 20 years, California Medical Innovations has been formulating and compounding natural rubber latex, plastisols, and thermoplastic elastomers. For more information, go to: California Medical Innovations.

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Printed Solar Power

CurtisEllzey — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 15:04:00 GMT
Plextronics, Inc. is an international technology company that specializes in printed solar, lighting and other electronics. Headquartered in Pittsburgh, PA, the company's focus is on organic solar cell and OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diode) lighting, specifically the conductive inks and process technologies that enable those and other similar applications. In printed solar cells, sunlight is collected in the photoactive layer to create charge carriers. When voltage is applied to the device, these carriers are separated into positive and negative charges and then directed to the conductive electrodes (cathode and transparent anode) to create power. The hole transport layer improves extraction of positive charges from the photoactive ink by matching of energy levels to photoactive ink. The combination of the Plexcore PV inks in a printed solar cell enables consistently improved device efficiency, which results in the ability to convert more sunlight into power.

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Ferrofluids

CurtisEllzey — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 14:56:00 GMT
A ferrofluid is a liquid which becomes strongly polarized in the presence of a magnetic field. It is a colloidal mixture comprising extremely small magnetic particles suspended in a liquid. Ferrofluids are composed of nanoscale ferromagnetic, or ferrimagnetic, particles suspended in a carrier fluid, usually an organic solvent or water. The ferromagnetic nano-particles are coated with a surfactant to prevent their agglomeration. Research of colloidal suspensions of fine magnetic particles at Carnegie Mellon University has found applications in biomed sectors.

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Evonik's Lotus Exige

CurtisEllzey — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 14:48:00 GMT
How can cars be designed to be more attractive, more environmentally friendly, more efficient, and safer? These are questions that Evonik Industries has answers to. The car of the future doesn’t yet fly—but its lightweight construction owes something to aircraft design anyway. The rear spoiler of a RED Motorsport Lotus Exige weighs next to nothing, thanks to ROHACELL, an extremely rigid, but lightweight, structural foam made from PMI (polymethacrylimide), which is used as a core material for sandwich constructions. Other innovations include: "green" tires that produce less rolling resistance (which in turn translates into greater fuel economy), a specialty catalyst that makes it possible to convert canola oil into biodiesel, and Evonik’s methacrylates which are monomers that act both as a base for pigment and as a clear scratch-resistant finish.

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Microalgae Bioreactors

CurtisEllzey — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 14:23:00 GMT
Current research in the area of biofuels includes a major R&D program with Solix Biofuels and the Engines and Energy Conversion Lab to develop photobioreactors for the mass production of algae as a biodiesel feedstock. Designing and building a Photobioreactor (PBR) that produces oil at a competitive price requires precise delivery of sunlight and the photobiological formula to each algae cell in the system.

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Algae-based Biofuel

CurtisEllzey — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 15:08:00 GMT
The vision of Solix Biofuels is to unlock the complex secrets of one of the simplest organisms on Earth, microalgae, to create a commercially viable biofuel that will play a vital role in solving climate change and petroleum scarcity, without competing with global food supply.

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Electric Grids and Microalgae

CurtisEllzey — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 10:52:00 GMT
Dr. Bryan Willson, Director of Colorado State University's Engines and Energy Conversion Laboratory, discusses their work with two co-located partners. Spirae's InteGrid laboratory ranks among the world’s most advanced centers for test and development related to renewable energy, distributed generation, and power system management. Solix is working with microalgae to create a commercially viable biofuel that could play a vital role in solving climate change and petroleum scarcity, without competing with global food supply.

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Eco-Plastics

CurtisEllzey — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 15:25:00 GMT
Other biodegradable plastics utilize expensive, limited, food feedstocks and costly biological production processes. Novomer re-uses carbon dioxide as a major input in a low-cost, precision-quality, chemical process that produces a class of uniform polymers, plastics and other chemicals. Novomer is building the partnerships to turn these materials into environmentally friendly, green plastics products that can replace and improve the role of plastics across many markets.

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Implantable Materials and Advanced Ceramics

CurtisEllzey — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 14:25:00 GMT
The aliphatic polycarbonates created by Cornell chemist Geoffrey Coates are safe and strong enough to be used in medical implants and devices. They're also used as extremely effective binders for the creation of non-oxide ceramics, which are often used as components experiencing high compressive stresses such as cam rollers in diesel engines, valves, seals, rotating parts and wear plates, abrasive powder blast nozzles, cutting tool tips, and more.

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The Disappearing Polymer

CurtisEllzey — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 14:40:00 GMT
Polypropylene carbonate (PPC), is a polycarbonate plastic material, a copolymer of carbon dioxide and propylene oxide. In the ceramics industry, polypropylene carbonate and polyethylene carbonate are used as sacrificial binders, especially alumina and silicon carbide; the polymers evaporate during sintering as they decompose completely above 300 °C.

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Novomer: Precision Catalysts

CurtisEllzey — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 15:46:00 GMT
Scientists at Novomer have unlocked catalytic pathways that transform simple, abundant feedstocks like carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide into high-performance polymers and fine chemicals.

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