Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, N.Mex., and SRI International, Menlo Park, Calif., an independent research and innovation center, will join forces to explore, test, and evaluate a broad range of hydrogen and natural gas fuel systems and components for transportation applications under a new agreement.
Water graphite to ‘grow’ better batteries
Materials made from graphite, such as lithium-ion batteries, dislike water-or so researchers have assumed for decades. But a team of engineers from the University of Pittsburgh show that those materials are actually intrinsically attracted to water, or “hydrophilic.” It appears that past samples of graphite were likely contaminated by air, causing the samples to appear hydrophobic, according to the study.
FEI introduces three transmission electron microscopy systems for semiconductors and materials
FEI Co., Hillsboro, Ore., has launched the new Metrios TEM (transmission electron microscope) for advanced semiconductor manufacturing metrology; the Talos TEM that provides high-speed imaging and analysis for materials science; and the Titan Themis TEM for enhanced atomic-scale measurements of material properties.
Novelis invests $340 million to increase rolling capacity in Brazil to 600,000 metric tons
Novelis, Atlanta, announces the opening of its expanded aluminum rolling operations in Sao Paulo, Brazil. The expansion increases production capacity at the plant by more than 50% to greater than 600,000 metric tons of aluminum sheet per year. The $340 million investment represents the largest capital expansion by Novelis in South America in the past decade.
3D dynamic imaging of soft materials (with video)
Autumn is usually not such a great time for big special effects movies as the summer blockbusters have faded and those for the holiday season have not yet opened. Fall is more often the time for thoughtful films about small subjects, which makes it perfect for the unveiling of a new movie produced by researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab).