Laboratory Equipment

Bright Nanoscale Alloys Have Potential Medical Applications

Alloys like bronze and steel have been transformational for centuries, yielding top-of-the-line machines necessary for industry. As scientists move toward nanotechnology, however, the focus has shifted toward creating alloys at the nanometer scale — producing materials with properties unlike their predecessors.

Now, research at the Univ. of Pittsburgh demonstrates that nanometer-scale alloys possess the ability to emit light so brightly they could have potential applications in medicine. The findings have been published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society.

Read more: http://www.laboratoryequipment.com/news/2013/05/bright-nanoscale-alloys-have-potential-medical-applications

Imaging Technique Visualizes Bio-Metals, Molecules

Metal elements and molecules interact in the body but visualizing them together has always been a challenge. Researchers from the RIKEN Center for Life Science Technologies have developed a new molecular imaging technology that enables them to visualize bio-metals and bio-molecules simultaneously in a live mouse. This new technology will enable researchers to study the complex interactions between metal elements and molecules in living organisms.

Read more: http://www.laboratoryequipment.com/news/2013/05/imaging-technique-visualizes-bio-metals-molecules

Researchers Suggest Old Method to Purify Carbon Nanotubes

An old, somewhat passé, trick used to purify protein samples based on their affinity for water has found new fans at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), where materials scientists are using it to divvy up solutions of carbon nanotubes, separating the metallic nanotubes from semiconductors. They say it’s a fast, easy and cheap way to produce high-purity samples of carbon nanotubes for use in nanoscale electronics and many other applications.

Read more: http://www.laboratoryequipment.com/news/2013/05/researchers-suggest-old-method-purify-carbon-nanotubes

Low-Cost, Effective Catalyst Aids Hydrogen Production

In a paper to be published in an upcoming issue of Energy & Environmental Science, researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Brookhaven National Laboratory describe details of a low-cost, stable, effective catalyst that could replace costly platinum in the production of hydrogen. The catalyst, made from renewable soybeans and abundant molybdenum metal, produces hydrogen in an environmentally friendly, cost-effective manner, potentially increasing the use of this clean energy source.

Read more: http://www.laboratoryequipment.com/news/2013/04/low-cost-effective-catalyst-aids-hydrogen-production

Alloy has Potential for Electronics in Wells

An alloy that may improve high-temperature electronics in oil and geothermal wells was really a solution in search of a problem.

Sandia National Laboratories first investigated the gold-silver-germanium alloy about 15 years ago as a possible bonding material in a new neutron tube product. But a design change forced Sandia to shelve the material, says Paul Vianco, who has worked in soldering and brazing technology at Sandia for 26 years.

Read more: http://www.laboratoryequipment.com/news/2013/03/alloy-has-potential-electronics-wells

Method Improves Recovery of Precious Metal

Murdoch Univ. researchers have come up with a new approach to make the recovery of high value precious metals faster and more economically viable.

Chun-Yang Yin and Aleksandar Nikoloski say the rising cost of metals such as platinum and palladium made recovery economically and environmentally vital. Their technique – which was trialed by extracting platinum and palladium from a spent automotive catalyst leach solution – has shown major advantages over conventional methods.

Read more: http://www.laboratoryequipment.com/news/2013/03/method-improves-recovery-precious-metal

Carbon Sponge Soaks Up Coal Emissions

Emissions from coal power stations could be drastically reduced by a new, energy-efficient material that adsorbs large amounts of carbon dioxide, then releases it when exposed to sunlight.

In a study published today in Angewandte Chemie, Monash Univ. and CSIRO scientists for the first time discovered a photosensitive metal organic framework (MOF) – a class of materials known for their exceptional capacity to store gases. This has created a powerful and cost-effective new tool to capture and store, or potentially recycle, carbon dioxide.

Read more: http://www.laboratoryequipment.com/news/2013/02/carbon-sponge-soaks-coal-emissions

Lab to Tackle Rare Earth Metals Shortage

The U.S. Department of Energy announced that a team led by The Ames Laboratory in Ames, Iowa, has been selected for an award of up to $120 million over five years to establish an Energy Innovation Hub that will develop solutions to the domestic shortages of rare earth metals and other materials critical for U.S. energy security. The new research center, which will be named the Critical Materials Institute (CMI), will bring together leading researchers from academia, four Department of Energy national laboratories, as well as the private sector.

Read more: http://www.laboratoryequipment.com/news/2013/01/lab-tackle-rare-earth-metals-shortage

Onion Waste Absorbs Heavy Metals

Onion and garlic waste from the food industry could be used to mop up hazardous heavy metals, including arsenic, cadmium, iron, lead, mercury and tin in contaminated materials, according to a research paper published in Inderscience’s International Journal of Environment and Pollution.

Biotechnologists Rahul Negi, Gouri Satpathy, Yogesh Tyagi and Rajinder Gupta of the GGS Indraprastha Univ., explain how waste from the processing and canning of onion (Allium cepa L.) and garlic (Allium sativum L.) could be used as an alternative remediation material for removing toxic elements from contaminated materials including industrial effluent.

Read more: http://www.laboratoryequipment.com/news/2012/12/onion-waste-absorbs-heavy-metals

Research Sheds Light on Breaking Points of Metallic Glasses

Metallic glass alloys (or liquid metals) are three times stronger than the best industrial steel, but can be molded into complex shapes with the same ease as plastic. These materials are highly resistant to scratching, denting, shattering and corrosion. So far, they have been used in a variety of products from golf clubs to aircraft components. And, some smartphone manufacturers are even looking to cast their next-generation phone cases out of it.

But despite their potential, the mechanical properties of these substances are still a scientific mystery. One lingering question is why they have such wildly different toughness and breaking points, depending on how they are made. Although this may not be a huge concern for small applications, like smartphone cases, it will be extremely important if these materials are ever used in structural applications where they would need to support large loads.

Read more: http://www.laboratoryequipment.com/news/2012/11/research-sheds-light-breaking-points-metallic-glasses

Nanoscale Research Key to Stronger Materials

Hydrogen, the lightest element, can easily dissolve and migrate within metals to make these otherwise ductile materials brittle and substantially more prone to failures.

Since the phenomenon was discovered in 1875, hydrogen embrittlement has been a persistent problem for the design of structural materials in various industries, from battleships to aircraft and nuclear reactors. Despite decades of research, experts have yet to fully understand the physics underlying the problem or to develop a rigorous model for predicting when, where and how hydrogen embrittlement will occur. As a result, industrial designers must still resort to a trial-and-error approach.

Read more: http://www.laboratoryequipment.com/news/2012/11/nanoscale-research-key-stronger-materials