Items Tagged With Materials Science

Applied scientists demonstrated a new method for developing wrinkled hard skins on the surface areas of polymers using a focused ion beam. By controlling the direction and intensity of the ion beam, the researchers literally sculpted patterns on flat areas of polydimethylsiloxane, a silicon-based organic polymer (more commonly known as the primary ingredient in Silly Putty). The technique has potential use for biological sensors and microfluidic devices and may offer new ways to build custom-made cell templates for tissue engineering.

NanoSight Ltd has announced that the Organic Materials Team within AWE Aldermaston has successfully tested and validated NanoSight’s characterisation systems for accurate analysis of nanoparticles in suspension. The team has found that the system offers an excellent way to quickly and reliably assess the dispersion of nanoparticles in a range of aqueous and non aqueous solvents.

BASF Venture Capital GmbH, Ludwigshafen, is investing in Pangaea Ventures Fund II, LP, a venture capital fund belonging to Pangaea Ventures Ltd of Vancouver, Canada. Pangaea Ventures invests in early-stage advanced materials, energy and environmental technologies as well as nanotechnology companies in North America.

Nine Dutch Aerospace Engineering students at the Delft University of Technology, together with the Department of Experimental Zoology of Wageningen University, designed the RoboSwift. RoboSwift is a micro aeroplane fitted with shape shifting wings, inspired by the common swift, one of nature’s most efficient flyers. The micro aeroplane will have unprecedented wing characteristics; the wing geometry as well as the wing surface area can be adjusted continuously. This makes RoboSwift more manoeuvrable and efficient. Resembling the common swift, RoboSwift will be able to go undetected while using its three micro cameras to perform surveillance on vehicles and people on the ground. Furthermore, it can be employed to observe swifts in flight, thus enabling new biological research.