Category Chemistry/Nanotechnology

A room-temperature bonding technique for integrating wide bandgap materials such as gallium nitride (GaN) with thermally-conducting materials such as diamond could boost the cooling effect on GaN devices and facilitate better performance through higher power levels, longer device lifetime, improved reliability and reduced manufacturing costs. The technique could have applications for wireless transmitters, radars, satellite equipment and other high-power and high-frequency electronic devices.

The technique, called surface-activated bonding, uses an ion source in a high vacuum environment to first ...

Medical valves manufactured with portable 3D printers are saving the lives of coronavirus victims at a hospital located in what is considered Italy’s Ground Zero for the deadly viral infection.

When the founder of Issanova, a startup 3D printing firm with a staff of 14 learned that a local hospital was running short of critical breathing devices used to help hospital patients suffering from the deadly virus, he sprang into action. He consulted with a fellow engineering expert and the two raced to the desperate hospital located in the small town of Chiari. There, they examined the medical device, called a Venturi valve.

That was on Friday the 13th...

Researchers from Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden, have created a new, rubber-like material with a unique set of properties, which could act as a replacement for human tissue in medical procedures. The material has the potential to make a big difference to many people’s lives. The research was recently published in the highly regarded scientific journal ACS Nano.

In the development of medical technology products, there is a great demand for new naturalistic materials suitable for integration with the body...

Goodyear recently unveiled a tire concept that could revolutionize the auto industry. Dubbed reCharge, this concept tire would never require replacements or rotations because it regenerates its tread as needed.

In addition to eliminating flat tires and the need to check tire pressure, the concept’s regeneration features would be customized to the driving habits and conditions of individual motorists courtesy of a combination of AI and telemetry data.

The crux of reCharge’s regeneration capabilities is a biodegradable, reloadable liquid compound that’s recharged by capsules. The compound is fortified by a mixture of dandelion rubber and fibers similar to spider silk, known to be one of the toughest raw materials found in nature...