彼得。约翰逊的布鲁克海文国家实验室实验lains the basics of high temperature superconductivity and why it can make a profound impact on energy usage and transmission. Yes – it ends somewhat abruptly.
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This is from a series of really excellent videos about each of the elements in the periodic table. The series is being led by Brady Haran from the University of Nottingham. No – Brady isn’t the one with the wild hair. The one with the hair is Martyn Poliakoff, a chemistry professor at the university.…
Read MoreAgain, we present another beloved classroom demonstration in materials science. This one is a non-intuitive display of surface tension, residual stress, interior tension, potential energy and tempered glass. To create a Prince Rupert drop, molten glass is dropped into cold water. The glass rapidly forms into teardrop shape with a extended, fine tail. The material…
Read MoreThere’s a ripple of excitement in the science and technical community. Imagine – an experienced scientist and successful administrator with a breadth of knowledge at the helm of the Department of Energy. Given the role DOE is going to play in the next few years, the selection of Steven Chu comes at a critical time.…
Read More(Hello to Ed Herderick, one of our new bloggers. Ed is working on his PhD in material sciences at The Ohio State University. His focus is on nanowire synthesis, characterization, and properties measurements, and if you ever want to yack with someone about the functional properties of oxides including gas sensing, piezoelectric, and ferroelectric properties-…
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The scientist featured in this video is M. Saiful Islam from the Department of Chemistry, University of Bath (U.K.), who provides a overview on the operations of a solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) and describes how his computer-based modeling techniques differ from lab-oriented approaches. Islam ‘s Materials Chemistry Group website has more information on clean…
Read MoreTwo different approaches to the creation of materials that could be described as artificial nacre – nacre being that super strong substance produced in nature by some mollusks and something of a Holy Grail pursued by materials scientists – have recently been announced. First some background on why nacre is so strong, courtesy of the…
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今天我们一个经典的实验特性/奇怪的体验ence in materials science, rheology, shear stress, strain rate, non-Newtonian fluid mechanics – and gooey fun: the Oobleck Run, AKA (with a great deal of hyperbole) Walking on Water. This video was prepared for the Discovery Channel’s great new series, Time Warp. The science behind this has significant implications,…
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We posted about this novel use of carbon nanotubes as audio speakers on Monday, but today we have a video of the real deal, courtesy of the American Chemical Society. The first part of the video shows the transparency of such a speaker. The second part is an illustration of the way the CNTs create…
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This week’s video is actually a three-in-one aerogel feature. Aerogel is wispy, translucent, highly insulating material often described as “solid smoke.” It’s worth noting that aerogel is not a new material and may date back to the 1930s. Many new applications and lower-cost production processes, however, are opening up. The first part of the video…
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