Paint-on plastic electronics

R&D Magazine – “This is for the first time a thin-layer, conducting, highly aligned film for high-performance, paintable, directly writeable plastic electronics,” says Jinsang Kim, U-M professor of materials science and engineering, who led the research published in Nature Materials.

Kim’s group approached the problem by making smarter semiconducting polymers. They wanted a liquid polymer solution they could brush over a surface, and the molecules would automatically align with one another in the direction of the stroke, assembling into high-performance semiconducting thin-layer films. more> http://tinyurl.com/bq5fooe

Composite Ferry Pontoon Floats in Australia

By Ann R. Thryft – Australian companies Wagners Composite Fibre Technologies (CFT) and Riverside Marine have joined forces to create a floating, all-composite ferry pontoon that they say will be the first of its kind.

Because metallic structures in the harsh marine environment require ongoing maintenance due to corrosion and degradation, Riverside Marine’s aim was to develop a solution using composite materials that would require zero maintenance, Gareth Williams, research and development engineer, has reportedly said. The company determined that using Wagners CFT’s materials would both reduce maintenance and double the existing design life of a similar structure made of metallic or concrete-based materials. more> http://tinyurl.com/74nl7q6

The Circle of Materials Science Life

By Lindsay Hock – As materials science researchers look to drive new product innovations, they inspire—and are aided by—sophisticated analytical and imaging instruments.

Alexander Thesen, director of application development, Carl Zeiss NTS GmbH, Germany, identified a broad range of applications including novel materials for power generation and storage; optimization of steels, alloys, and ceramics based on their nanoscopic properties; exploration of novel materials for nanoelectronics; and improved understanding of complex interfaces.

“For researchers, this in particular increases the necessity to extend structural and compositional imaging from 2D to 3D both for large areas and on the atomic level, as well as to improve imaging contrast and analytical resolution to discern minute differences in composition, crystallic, and molecular structure,” Thesen says. more> http://is.gd/ua4MtT