Australian scientists develop molten metal catalyst to change carbon dioxide into coal

March 3, 2019
Source:

RMIT University in Melbourne, Australia, announces that its researchers have developed a molten metal catalyst technique that can efficiently convert carbon dioxide from a gas into solid particles of carbon. Published in the journal Nature Communications, the research offers an alternative pathway for safely and permanently removing the greenhouse gas from our atmosphere.

 

RMIT researcher Dr. Torben Daeneke, an Australian Research Council DECRA Fellow, says that converting CO2 into a solid could be a more sustainable approach. “While we can’t literally turn back time, turning carbon dioxide back into coal and burying it back in the ground is a bit like rewinding the emissions clock,” says Dr. Daeneke “By using liquid metals as a catalyst, we’ve shown it is possible to turn the gas back into carbon at room temperature, in a process that’s efficient and scalable. While more research needs to be done, it’s a crucial first step to delivering storage of solid carbon.”

 

Lead author Dr. Dorna Esrafilzadeh, a Vice-Chancellor’s Research Fellow in RMIT’s School of Engineering, developed the electrochemical technique. The researchers designed a liquid metal catalyst with specific surface properties that made it extremely efficient at conducting electricity, while chemically activating the surface. The carbon dioxide is dissolved in a beaker filled with a liquid electrolyte and a small amount of the liquid metal, which is then charged with an electrical current. The CO2 slowly converts into solid flakes of carbon, which are naturally detached from the liquid metal surface, allowing the continuous production of carbonaceous solid.

 

Dr. Esrafilzadeh says the carbon produced could also be used as an electrode. “A side benefit of the process is that the carbon can hold electrical charge, becoming a supercapacitor, so it could potentially be used as a component in future vehicles. The process also produces synthetic fuel as a by-product, which could also have industrial applications.”

 

The paper is published in Nature Communications (“Room temperature CO2 reduction to solid carbon species on liquid metals featuring atomically thin ceria interfaces”, DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-08824-8).

 

https://www.rmit.edu.au/

Australian scientists develop molten metal catalyst to change carbon dioxide into coal

RMIT University in Melbourne, Australia, announces that its researchers have developed a molten metal catalyst technique that can efficiently convert carbon dioxide from a gas into solid particles of carbon.

Continue reading

Titanium carbide nanoparticles infused into aluminum alloy 7075 enable strong welds

January 27, 2019
Source:

Engineers at the UCLA Samueli School of Engineering announce that they have developed a way to weld aluminum alloy AA 7075 by infusing titanium carbide nanoparticles into welding wires, which results in welded joints with a tensile strength up to 392 MPa. (By comparison, AA 6061 has a tensile strength of 186 MPa in welded joints.) According to the study, post-welding heat treatments could further increase the strength of AA 7075 joints up to 551 MPa, which is comparable to steel.

 

"The new technique is just a simple twist, but it could allow widespread use of this high-strength aluminum alloy in mass-produced products such as cars or bicycles, where parts are often assembled together," said Xiaochun Li, UCLA's Raytheon Professor of Manufacturing and the study's principal investigator. "Companies could use the same processes and equipment they already have to incorporate this super-strong aluminum alloy into their manufacturing processes, and their products could be lighter and more energy efficient, while still retaining their strength."

 

The researchers already are working with a bicycle manufacturer on prototype bike frames that would use the alloy; and the new study suggests that nanoparticle-infused filler wires could also make it easier to join other hard-to-weld metals and metal alloys. 

 

“Nanoparticle-enabled phase control for arc welding of unweldable aluminum alloy 7075,” was published in the January 9 issue of Nature Communications.

https://samueli.ucla.edu/nanotechnology-enables-engineers-to-weld-previously-un-weldable-aluminum-alloy 

Titanium carbide nanoparticles infused into aluminum alloy 7075 enable strong welds

Engineers at the UCLA Samueli School of Engineering announce that they have developed a way to weld aluminum alloy AA 7075 by infusing titanium carbide nanoparticles into welding wires, which results in welded joints with a tensile strength up to 392 MPa.

Continue reading

Braidy Industries acquires nanostructured aluminum producer NanoAl

September 23, 2018
Source:

Braidy Industries Inc., Ashland, Ky., announces that it has acquired NanoAl LLC, a world leader in the science of nanocrystalline strengthening technology applied to sheet aluminum, as a third wholly owned subsidiary. NanoAl will join the Braidy Atlas aluminum rolling mill and Veloxint in the Braidy Industries company portfolio of holdings.

NanoAl was founded out of the Department of Materials Science at Northwestern University to commercialize the science of developing stronger aluminum alloys through control of key structural features at the nanoscale. Braidy believes the technology has the potential to significantly enhance the specific strength of aluminum to be produced by its Braidy Atlas mill, creating a competitive advantage within the automotive and aerospace OEM marketplace.

“We believe NanoAl’s innovative approach will enable sheet aluminum 20 percent stronger than conventional grades, while maintaining lower cost. The technology also applies to powder metallurgy, including 3D printing applications, allowing additional synergies between the Braidy Atlas mill and Veloxint,” said Dr. Alan Lund, Veloxint CEO and Chief Technology Officer of Braidy,. “This is another step towards our goal of rebuilding Appalachia with cutting edge technology focused on lightweighting solutions.”

According to Dr. Nhon Q. Vo, Chief Executive, Chief Technology Officer and Co-Founder of NanoAl, “Our new partnership with Braidy Industries and Veloxint provides the opportunity to scale our research and development capabilities and become the innovation leader in nano-science technology of light metals.”

Craig T. Bouchard, Braidy Industries Chairman and Chief Executive said, “We have the opportunity to grow our powder metallurgy business via acquisition. And, we have been approached by numerous parties to consider building our second rolling mill. We intend to pursue these opportunities.”

www.braidyindustries

 

Braidy Industries acquires nanostructured aluminum producer NanoAl

Braidy Industries Inc., Ashland, Ky., announces that it has acquired NanoAl LLC, a world leader in the science of nanocrystalline strengthening technology applied to sheet aluminum, as a third wholly owned subsidiary.

Continue reading

Silicon Enhancement of the Compound Layer for Tribological Application of Nitrided Hot-Work Steel

April 2, 2018
Source: ASM International

Silicon Enhancement of the Compound Layer for Tribological Application of Nitrided Hot-Work Steel

This presentation from the Thermal Processing in Motion conference in June will discuss the enhancement of tribological surface properties and the thermal stability of nitrided layers made possible by a process in which plasma is doped with silicon-containing gasses, a technology known as Plasma Enhanced Nanostructures.

Continue reading

NanoAl Superalloys to present six papers about its aluminum alloys at MS&T 2017

October 1, 2017
Source:

NanoAl Superalloys, Skokie, Ill., announces that its engineers will present six papers about its high-strength aluminum alloys at MS&T 2017 in Pittsburgh in October, some in conjunction with engineers from universities and other companies.

The presentations are:

A New Strategy to Achieve High Strength at Elevated Temperatures in Aluminum Alloys. Nhon Vo; Evander Ramos; Davaadorj Bayansan; Amirreza Sanaty-Zadeh; David Dunand; David Seidman; NanoAl LLC; Northwestern University.

Rapid Alloy Screening: Tailoring Aluminum Alloy Composition for Additive Manufacturing. Joe Croteau; Davaadorj Bayansan; Nhon Vo; David Dunand; David Seidman; NanoAl LLC;

The Microstructure and Mechanical Performance of an Additively Manufactured Aluminum Alloy. Joe Croteau; Davaadorj Bayansan; Seth Griffiths; Christian Leinenbach; Nhon Vo; David Dunand; David Seidman; NanoAl LLC; EMPA Materials Science and Technology;

Replacing Scandium by Heavy Rare-earth Metals in High-performance Aluminum Alloys. Nhon Vo; Davaadorj Bayansan; David Dunand; David Seidman; NanoAl LLC; Northwestern University;

Investigation of Al-Sc Alloy for Lightweight Armor. Eric Klier; Nhon Vo; Denver Gallardy; Kevin Doherty; David Seidman; David Dunand; Matthew Burkins; Army Research Laboratory; NanoAl. LLC; U. S. Army Research Laboratory; Northwestern University.

Supply Chain Requirements for New Ocean Resource. John Halkyard; Nhon Vo; Troy Tack; Jack Lifton; Ocean Minerals, LLC; NanoAL, LLC; Tactical Alloys; Technology Metals Research LLC.

www.nanoal.com

 

NanoAl Superalloys to present six papers about its aluminum alloys at MS&T 2017

NanoAl Superalloys, Skokie, Ill., announces that its engineers will present six papers about its high-strength aluminum alloys at MS&T 2017 in Pittsburgh in October, some in conjunction with engineers from universities and other companies.

Continue reading

Siemens to acquire Mentor Graphics for its electronics IC and systems design

November 14, 2016
Source:

Siemens AG, Munich,  and Mentor Graphics, Wilsonville, Ore., announce that they have entered into a merger agreement under which Siemens will acquire Mentor for $37.25 per share in cash, which represents an enterprise value of $4.5 billion. The offer price represents a 21% premium to Mentor's closing price on November 11, 2016, the last trading day prior to the announcement.

This acquisition decisively extends Siemens' leading Digital Enterprise Software portfolio with Mentor's well established electronics IC and systems design, simulation, and manufacturing solutions. These capabilities are essential for today's smart connected products such as autonomous vehicles. The combination provides mechanical, thermal, electronic and embedded software tools which will allow Siemens' customers to further accelerate their innovation, drive production efficiencies, and optimize the operation of their products in the field. Now, for the first time, quality, efficiency, flexibility, safety and speed can be optimized across technical domains, throughout the entire lifecycle and for the entire extended enterprise.

"Siemens is acquiring Mentor as part of its Vision 2020 concept to be the Benchmark for the New Industrial Age. It's a perfect portfolio fit to further expand our digital leadership and set the pace in the industry," said Joe Kaeser, President and CEO of Siemens AG.

"With Mentor, we're acquiring an established technology leader with a talented employee base that will allow us to supplement our world-class industrial software portfolio. It will complement our strong offering in mechanics and software with design, test and simulation of electrical and electronic systems," said Klaus Helmrich, member of the Managing Board of Siemens.
"Combining Mentor's technology leadership and deep customer relationships with Siemens' global scale and resources will better enable us to serve the growing needs of our customers, and unlock additional significant opportunities for our employees," said Walden C. Rhines, chairman and CEO of Mentor. "Siemens is an ideal partner with financial depth and stability, and their resources and additional investment will allow us to innovate even faster and accelerate our vision of creating top-to-bottom automated design solutions for electronic systems.

www.mentor.com

www.siemens.com

 

Siemens to acquire Mentor Graphics for its electronics IC and systems design

Siemens AG, Munich, and Mentor Graphics, Wilsonville, Ore., announce that they have entered into a merger agreement under which Siemens will acquire Mentor for its electronics IC and systems design, simulation, and manufacturing solutions.

Continue reading