In this issue:



ULVAC Technologies Inc.
HELIOT 900 Leak Detector



SPI Supplies
Sample Preparation Equipment and Consumables



Goodfellow
Metals and Materials…
from the Ordinary to the Extraordinary



Ted Pella, Inc.
Microscopy Supplies and
Specimen Preparation Tools



Harrick Plasma, Inc.
Surface Treatment



HORIBA Scientific
Tip Enhanced Raman Scattering (TERS) / Nano-Raman



American Elements
Now Invent.™



FEI Company
More Applications in One Instrument



Rigaku
SmartLab X-ray Diffractometer


Shimadzu Scientific Instruments
Precise, efficient testing of materials



Lake Shore
Cryotronics Inc.

Precision Measurement in Variable Environments



CAMECA
SIMS, EPMA & Atom Probe Nanoanalysis



Angstrom Engineering
Thin Film Deposition Equipment and Materials



REFFIT
Open Access Journal at Elsevier




IN FOCUS

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Vote for MRS Officers & Board Members!

The 2015 MRS election of officers and directors will open on August 3. Watch your email for unique ballot login information from "MRS Elections." The election will remain open until 11:59 pm (ET) on August 24.

Candidate bios and statements are available now at www.mrs.org/elections-2015.

Two FREE Webinars in August

2D Transition Metal Dichalcogenides
Wednesday, August 5  |  12:00 - 1:30 pm (ET)    

Perovskite Photovoltaics
Wednesday, August 26  |  12:00 - 1:30 pm (ET)    

Attendance for these and all MRS OnDemand Webinars is FREE, but advance registration is required.


Call for Papers—JMR Focus Issue

April 2016 Issue
Two-Dimensional Heterostructure Materials

Submission Deadline—September 1, 2015

MATERIALS NEWS

Keep up with materials research news through MRS!
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Materials in Focus


Carbon nanotube transistor reveals charge transfer and phase changes in physisorbed atoms
Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are well known for their attractive combination of properties: high strength and electrical conductivity from simple carbon. Scientists at the University of Washington have added a new talent to the abilities of the CNT: detecting the presence of a single atom. In the process, the researchers also used surface atoms dotting the nanotube as a testing ground for simple theoretical models of how atoms interact. Demonstrating and measuring these behaviors could lead to new sensors and devices based on more than just a clever mechanical design; these devices would also help to advance the field of condensed-matter physics.

3D printing of tough hydrogels creates complex, viable cellular environments
When it comes to synthetic hydrogels, finding the perfect mixture of toughness and ease of fabrication has been elusive. In a recent study, however, researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Duke University, and Columbia University have combined two commonly used materials to create a printable gel that is tough enough to stand up to intense stresses.

Bioelectronics tuned by film thickness
Organic electrochemical transistors (OECTs) interface biology with electronics. These devices from the emerging field of organic bioelectronics function in a manner similar to field-effect transistors (FETs), but instead employ ions to transport charge across a semiconducting channel. The ions necessary for charge transport are acquired from an electrolyte solution, meaning OECTs—like most biological processes—function in aqueous environments. Researchers at France’s École Nationale Supérieure des Mines have recently reported that the electronic properties of OECTs can be tuned by changing the semiconducting channel thickness.

Soft strain sensors fabricated through additive manufacturing
The scarcity of “off-the-shelf” soft electronic components has curtailed the development of wearable devices, essential for biomechanical studies and even for patient rehabilitation applications. Addressing this challenge, a team led by Jennifer Lewis and Conor Walsh at Harvard University has now harnessed additive manufacturing (also known as three-dimensional printing) to make soft capacitive strain sensors composed of multicore–shell fibers.


Industry Focus

Battery-powered planes are getting ready for take-off

Electric airplanes have been busy breaking records. On July 10th Airbus’s E-Fan, piloted by Didier Esteyne, became the first twin-engined all-electric aircraft to cross the English Channel. At least, that is the firm’s version of events—for about 12 hours earlier, Hugues Duval, another Frenchman, had made a round trip from Calais in his twin-engined Cri-Cri electric plane.

 

Policy Focus

Australian research infrastructure gets two-year respite

Uncertainty loomed over scientific research funding in Australia early this year. A controversial higher education reform legislation held up in the country’s Parliament had put at risk funds of AUD$150 million (USD$116 million) for the National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy (NCRIS), an umbrella covering 27 projects, many of which support materials research. It was not clear whether much of this infrastructure, employing some 1700 staff, would remain open past June 30 of this year. Relief came in mid-March when Education Minister Christopher Pine committed one year of funding for NCRIS to last through 2016.

New US rules on helium sales said to stifle competition

The Helium Stewardship Act aimed to establish a competitive market for federal helium, which accounts for more than 40% of U.S. supply, by phasing in an auction instead of simply having the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) sell it for a fixed price. But the number of companies buying from the reserve fell last year from eight to four.

For more science policy news, follow @MaterialsSciPol

 

OF INTEREST TO THE MATERIALS COMMUNITY

Beyond graphene, a zoo of new 2D materials are being created

The realization that materials can be thinned down to the absolute limit of a single atom is spreading, both throughout the world and across the periodic table. Researchers are learning that 2D isn’t just for the carbon atoms of graphene. Different elemental combinations can lead to fascinating new science and applications. More.

Want more innovation? Try connecting the dots between engineering and humanities

Taught by a team of nine faculty from engineering, humanities and social sciences, our course, The Impact of Materials on Society (IMOS), explores the close connection between the “stuff” in our lives and our experiences as social beings. More.

 

MEETINGS UPDATE

Critical Meeting Deadlines

XXIV International Materials Research Congress (IMRC 2015)
August 16-20, 2015  |  Cancun, Mexico

REGISTRATION OPEN!
Online Registration Deadline: August 13
2015 MRS Fall Meeting & Exhibit
November 29 - December 4, 2015
Boston, Massachusetts

exhibit opportunities available
PREREGISTRATION OPENS MID-SEPTEMBER


2016 MRS Spring Meeting & Exhibit

March 28-April 1, 2016
Phoenix, Arizona

exhibit opportunities available

CALL FOR PAPERS
Abstract Submission Opens
September 15
Abstract Submission Deadline
October 15


PUBLICATIONS UPDATE

Critical Publications Deadlines

April 2016 - Journal of Materials Research 31(7)
Two-Dimensional Heterostructure Materials

Submission deadline:
9/1/2015

June 2016 - Journal of Materials Research 31(11)
Advanced Materials and Structures for Solar Fuels

Submission deadline:
11/1/2015

July 2016 - Journal of Materials Research 31(13)
Advances and Challenges in Carbon-based Tribomaterials

Submission deadline:
12/1/2015

October 2016 - Journal of Materials Research 31(19)
Reinventing Boron Chemistry for the 21st Century

Submission deadline:
3/1/2016

Advertise in JMR.


JUST PUBLISHED

MRS Communications
June 2015, Volume 5, Issue 2

Google PlayiTunes

Polymers/Soft Matter Research Letter
Effects of alkyl chain positioning on conjugated polymer microstructure and field-effect mobilities

Bob C. Schroeder, Christian B. Nielsen, Paul Westacott, Jeremy Smith, Stephan Rossbauer, Thomas D. Anthopoulos, Natalie Stingelin and Iain McCulloch


Get your free Android App or iOS App for MRS Communications for full mobile access to this journal.

     

MRS Bulletin
Follow @MRSBulletin

2D layered transition-metal dichalcogenides
July 2015

Google PlayiTunes

Selected Theme Articles
Phase-engineered transition-metal dichalcogenides for energy and electronics
Manish Chhowalla, Damien Voiry, Jieun Yang, Hyeon Suk Shin, and Kian Ping Loh

Two-dimensional transition-metal dichalcogenide materials: Toward an age of atomic-scale photonics
Linyou Cao

Energy Quarterly
Editorial
Energy-efficient electronics science: Searching for a low-voltage switch
Eli Yablonovitch

Book Reviews
Biological Materials Science: Biological Materials, Bioinspired Materials, and Biomaterials
Marc André Meyers and Po-Yu Chen
Reviewed by Carl J. Boehlert and Robert O. Ritchie

Electrical, Electronic and Magnetic Properties of Solids
D.B. Sirdeshmukh, L. Sirdeshmukh, K.G. Subhadra, and C.S. Sunandana
Reviewed by K. Kamala Bharathi

Posterminaries
Materials tomorrow
Steve Moss

Get your free Android App or iOS App for MRS Bulletin for full mobile access to this journal.

Advertise in MRS Bulletin.

Journal of Materials Research
July 2015, Volume 30, Issue 14

A selection of papers:

Synthesis of LiFePO4 powder by the organic–inorganic steric entrapment method
Daniel Ribero and Waltraud M. Kriven

Fabrication of nanoperforated ultrathin TiO2 films by inkjet printing
Qian Xu, Jan-Henrik Smått, Jouko Peltonen and Petri Ihalainen

Synthesis of photoactive ZnSnP2 semiconductor nanowires
Sudarat Lee, Eli Fahrenkrug and Stephen Maldonado

Advertise in JMR.  
   

MRS Online Proceedings Library

Visit the MRS Online Proceedings Library and read about the latest research presented at MRS Meetings. Access is free to MRS members.

 

From Volume 1684, 2014 MRS Spring Meeting, Symposium T – Superconductor Materials—From Basic Science to Novel Technology:
Why is the Tc So High in Fe-Based Pnictide and Chalcogenide Superconductors?
Bing Lv, Liangzi Deng, Zheng Wu, Fengyan Wei, Kui Zhao, James K. Meen, Yu-Yi Xue, Li-Li Wang, Xu-Cun Ma, Qi-Kun Xue and Ching-Wu Chu

From Volume 1687, 2014 MRS Spring Meeting, Symposium W – Functional Biomaterials for Regenerative Engineering:
Fibrin Gels as Cell-Instructive Substrates for Regenerative Medicine
Kaitlin C. Murphy, Hillary E. Davis, Bernard Y-K Binder and J. Kent Leach

Nanofiber-permeated, hybrid polymer/ceramic scaffolds for guided cell behavior
Clarke Nelson, Yusuf Khan and Cato T. Laurencin

SCIENCE AS ART

Flower Meadow
by Pia Ruckdeschel, University of Bayreuth

TEM image of a double-layer of hexagonally ordered silica hollow spheres with a diameter of 315 nm and a shell thickness of 15 nm.

A finalist in the Science as Art competition at the 2015 MRS Spring Meeting

Copyright for all Science as Art images belongs to the Materials Research Society. To request permission to re-use the images, please contact Anita Miller.

EDITOR'S CHOICE VIDEO

Cambridge University

Engineering Atoms

Atomic-level engineering is at the forefront of modern, greener jet engine design.


CAREER CENTRAL

Partial listing of classified ads from the upcoming August 2015 issue of MRS Bulletin

Auburn University         
Faculty Position, Materials Engineering

Institut national de la recherche scientifique (INRS)
Professors | Researchers
Device Architecture, Design, Prototyping/Fabrication, Integration

University of Pennsylvania
Assistant Professor, Energy Cluster


NEW PRODUCTS FOCUS

Viscosity Measurement: Fast, Flexible and Automated


The High-Throughput Viscometer HTV is the brand new automation device from Anton Paar for the automated viscosity measurement of up to 2000 samples a day. The HTV is the clever linking of Anton Paar’s SVM 3000 Viscometer to a flexible and modular automation platform concept. The smart modular concept of the HTV enables Anton Paar to offer customized solutions to almost all industry segments; e.g., petroleum industry, chemistry, cosmetics, home care, food and life sciences.

[Contact: [email protected] or 804-550-1051]

 
New Laser Particle Sizer


With a total measuring range of 0.01–2000 μm in a single instrument, the new Laser Particle Sizer ANALYSETTE 22 NanoTec plus from FRITSCH GmbH is the ideal, universally applicable laser particle sizer for the effective and reliable determination of particle size distributions in production and quality control as well as in research and development. Innovative FRITSCH laser technology makes it possible to separately select five different measuring ranges. For elegant measurements with maximum flexibility, highest resolution, outstanding sensitivity—and perfect results down to the nano range.

[Contact: [email protected] or 49-67-84-700]

To suggest items for inclusion in Industry News and New Products Focus, please contact Mary Kaufold at 724-779-2755.

ABOUT MATERIALS360®

Materials360 is edited by Judy Meiksin, News Editor, and produced by Kirby Morris, Electronic Communications Assistant, Materials Research Society.

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