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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. |
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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. |
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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!
Materials360 Online | RSS feed | Twitter feed
Materials in Focus
Carbon nanotube transistor reveals charge transfer and phase changes in physisorbed atoms |
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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 |
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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 |
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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 |
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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
PUBLICATIONS UPDATE
Critical Publications Deadlines
Advertise in JMR.
JUST PUBLISHED
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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
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Advertise in MRS Bulletin.
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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
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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
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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 |
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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] |
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New Laser Particle Sizer |
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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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© Materials Research Society, 2015. All rights reserved. |