computation and modeling applied to ceramic materials
TRANSCRIPT
Scaling up ceramic additive manufacturing •
A new experimental twist on outsourced R&D •
Scalable electronics manufacturing partnership •
Computation and modeling ceramic materials •
bulletine m e r g i n g c e r a m i c s & g l a s s t e c h n o l o g y
A M E R I C A N C E R A M I C S O C I E T Y
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1American Ceramic Society Bulletin, Vol. 95, No. 3 | www.ceramics.org
contentsA p r i l 2 0 1 6 • V o l . 9 5 N o . 3
feature articles meetingsCeramics Expo 2016 . . . . . . 42
GOMD 2016 . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Cements 2016 . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
HTCMC 9, GFMAT 2016 . . . . 50
columnsDeciphering the Discipline . . 56Experiences and challenges in 3-D printing
by Swetha Barkam
departmentsNews and Trends . . . . . . . . . . 4
Spotlight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Ceramics in Biomedicine . . . . . . . 11
Research Briefs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Ceramics in Energy . . . . . . . . . . . 20
resourcesCalendar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Classified Advertising . . . . . . 52
Display Ad Index . . . . . . . . . 55
Corporate–academic partnership pools resources to advance additive manufacturing of electronics Corporate and academic researchers join forces to develop scalable approaches to additive manufacture of electronics.
by April Gocha, with expert Craig Armiento
From walk-in to drop-in—A new twist on outsourced R&DAn experimental concept allows companies without in-house research programs to outsource R&D.
by Walter Sherwood
Computation and modeling applied to ceramic materials Report from a workshop focused on computation and modeling as applied to ceramic materials.
by Steve W. Freiman, Lynnette Madsen, and William Hong
Scaling up—The high potential of additive manufacturing for the ceramics industry As the technology has grown, so has one small Austria-based company.
by Monika Homa
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contentsA p r i l • V o l . 9 5 N o . 3
bulletinAMERICAN CERAMIC SOCIETY
American Ceramic Society Bulletin covers news and activities of the Society and its members, includes items of interest to the ceramics community, and provides the most current information concerning all aspects of ceramic technology, including R&D, manufacturing, engineering, and marketing. American Ceramic Society Bulletin (ISSN No. 0002-7812). ©2015. Printed in the United States of America. ACerS Bulletin is published monthly, except for February, July, and November, as a “dual-media” magazine in print and electronic formats (www.ceramicbulletin.org). Editorial and Subscription Offices: 600 North Cleveland Avenue, Suite 210, Westerville, OH 43082-6920. Subscription included with The American Ceramic Society membership. Nonmember print subscription rates, including online access: United States and Canada, 1 year $135; international, 1 year $150.* Rates include shipping charges. International Remail Service is standard outside of the United States and Canada. *International nonmembers also may elect to receive an electronic-only, email delivery subscription for $100. Single issues, January–October/November: member $6 per issue; nonmember $15 per issue. December issue (ceramicSOURCE): member $20, nonmember $40. Postage/handling for single issues: United States and Canada, $3 per item; United States and Canada Expedited (UPS 2nd day air), $8 per item; International Standard, $6 per item.
POSTMASTER: Please send address changes to American Ceramic Society Bulletin, 600 North Cleveland Avenue, Suite 210, Westerville, OH 43082-6920. Periodical postage paid at Westerville, Ohio, and additional mailing offices. Allow six weeks for address changes.
ACSBA7, Vol. 95, No. 3, pp 1–56. All feature articles are covered in Current Contents.
Editorial and ProductionEileen De Guire, Editor ph: 614-794-5828 fx: 614-794-5815 [email protected] Gocha, Managing EditorStephanie Liverani, Associate EditorRussell Jordan, Contributing EditorTess Speakman, Graphic Designer
Editorial Advisory BoardG. Scott Glaesemann, Chair, Corning IncorporatedJohn McCloy, Washington State UniversityC. Scott Nordahl, Raytheon CompanyFei Peng, Clemson UniversityKlaus-Markus Peters, Fireline, Inc.Gurpreet Singh, Kansas State UniversityEileen De Guire, Staff Liaison, The American Ceramic Society
Customer Service/Circulation ph: 866-721-3322 fx: 240-396-5637 [email protected]
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Executive Staff Charles Spahr, Executive Director and Publisher [email protected] De Guire, Director of Communications & Marketing [email protected] Marcus Fish, Development DirectorCeramic and Glass Industry Foundation [email protected] Michael Johnson, Director of Finance and Operations [email protected] LaBute, Human Resources Manager & Exec. Assistant [email protected] Mecklenborg, Director of Membership, Meetings & Technical Publications [email protected] Thompson, Director, Membership [email protected]
OfficersMrityunjay Singh, PresidentWilliam Lee, President-ElectKathleen Richardson, Past PresidentDaniel Lease, TreasurerCharles Spahr, Secretary
Board of Directors Michael Alexander, Director 2014–2017Geoff Brennecka, Director 2014–2017Manoj Choudhary, Director 2015–2018John Halloran, Director 2013–2016Martin Harmer, Director 2015–2018Edgar Lara-Curzio, Director 2013–2016Hua-Tay (H.T.) Lin, Director 2014–2017Tatsuki Ohji, Director 2013–2016 Gregory Rohrer, Director 2015–2018 David Johnson Jr., Parliamentarian
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Science agencies see prese-questration federal budget levels in FY 2016
Many science agencies can expect to see their federal budget numbers in fiscal year 2016 return to levels not seen since the FY 2013 sequestration, even adjusting for inflation, according to a recent report published by the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
The sequestration and the spending caps under the Budget Control Act signed into law by President Obama in 2011 to bring an end to the United States debt-ceiling crisis meant science agencies lost billions in funding since FY 2012.
But thanks to a strong boost from the recent omnibus package provided by the October 2015 budget deal passed by Congress—a package that enables several increases in R&D appropriations—the FY 2016 numbers for many major R&D agencies look strong, AAAS reports.
The positive outlook, however, did not always look so strong.
“It’s worth remembering that at the start of this appropriations cycle, discre-tionary spending was scheduled to be vir-tually flat in FY 2016. It was much the same in the prior year, dealing with FY 2015 appropriations, and most agencies saw little if any gain,” AAAS reports.
The Department of Energy applied technology programs—including fossil, nuclear, and renewable energy research; energy efficiency; grid-related research; and the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy—each now have a pro-gram budget at least 8.6% above FY 2012 levels.
Basic research funding for Department of Defense science and tech-nology is at 8% above FY 2012 levels after the omnibus. However, funding for the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency is 4.1% below FY 2012.
The National Science Foundation actu-ally saw strong budget growth postseques-tration and since has leveled off following the omnibus package. “NSF funding may be a casualty of debates over social sci-ences and geosciences funding and the feud between the agency and the House Science Committee,” AAAS reports.
President Obama requested $1.1 billion for the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in FY 2016—$255.8 million above the FY 2015 level—to help fund advanced manufac-turing, cybersecurity, disaster resilience, and “smart cities,” according to a recent NIST news release. n
Materials scientists honored by Thomson Reuters and AAAS for contributions to science and society
Thomson Reuters recently unveiled its newest annual ranking of the world’s hottest researchers—and more than 35% of those minds are studying materials.
According to a Thomson Reuters press release, “the 2015 hottest researchers ranking spotlights the scientific commu-nity’s emerging trends and 19 innovators,
who recently published at least 14 papers with notably high levels of citations. The list was identified by tabulating citations within the Web of Science recorded dur-ing calendar year 2014 for papers pub-lished between 2012 and 2014.”
Of those 19, seven are scientists study-ing materials:
•Henry J. Snaith, Oxford University; perovskite solar cells;
•Michael Grätzel, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne; perovskite solar cells;
•David (Xiong Wen) Lou, Nanyang Technological University; energy tech-nologies, including lithium batteries and supercapacitors;
•Mohammed K. Nazeeruddin, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne; perovskite solar cells;
•Hua Zhang, Nanyang Technological University; nanomaterials, including MOFs, monolayers, and self-assembly;
•Yang Yang, University of California, Los Angeles; perovskite solar cells; and
•Yi Cui, Stanford University; lithium batteries and catalysts.
That puts materials science on equal playing ground with genomics—which also had seven scientists on the list—as
news & trends
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Mark Miodownik has been named by the American Association for the Advancement of Science as its 2015 Public Engagement with Science Award winner.
5American Ceramic Society Bulletin, Vol. 95, No. 3 | www.ceramics.org
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an emerging trend. Overall, the rank-ing reveals “significant growth in cancer genomics and improvements in convert-ing solar cells into renewable energy,” according to the release.
In addition to the short list of the year’s hottest researchers, Thomson Reuters also released a longer, more in-depth study of top scientists by field.
That list, known as the Highly Cited Researchers ranking, includes about 3,000 researchers who rank “among the top one percent by citations received in their respective fields in each paper’s year of publication,” according to the same Thomson Reuters press release.
About 130 materials scientists make that longer list, which can be accessed
at tmsnrt.rs/1lmkPUK. But Thomson Reuters is not the only awarding institu-tion noticing materials scientists.
The American Association for the Advancement of Science just announced that scientist and science communicator Mark Miodownik is the association’s 2015 Public Engagement with Science Award winner.
Miodownik, author of the award-winning and NY Times best-selling popu-lar materials science book Stuff Matters, received the award for “his enthusiastic and successful commitment to public engagement, igniting a sense of wonder about the world by unveiling the interplay between science, engineering, and the soci-ety,” according to a AAAS press release. n
Ceramic and glass materials prove Einstein was right, help detect gravitational waves in breakthrough discovery
Scientists recently announced that the Advanced Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) officially detected gravitational waves.Hear more about the landmark discovery in a short video from Science magazine at youtu.be/OBybywdPa8U.
LIGO—which observatory executive director David Reitze described during an NSF press conference announcing the discovery as the most precise measurement instrument ever built—is a huge laser optics device. The interferometer can measure
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incredibly small disturbances, those that register in the range of a miniscule fraction of the width of an atomic nucleus.
To detect such small differences, a pair of identical observatories—one in Livingston, La., and one in Hanford, Wash.—measures laser light that splits into two beams, shone down two oppos-ing 4-km-long tunnels, bounced back, and measured with a light detector.
All of those components must be painstakingly precise to be able to mea-
sure a phenomenon so small in a world that is so awash with interfering vibrations and move-ments. So the LIGO observatories house some of the most complex, expensive, and precise optics setups out there.
LIGO’s critical laser-beam-reflecting mirrors, called test masses, are huge hunks of fused silica supplied by Corning Incorporated. Each mirror weighs a hefty 40 kg and
is cast from an “ultrapure material with low hydroxide content to minimize infra-red absorption,” according to the LIGO Caltech wesbsite. “Since LIGO’s laser is an IR laser, its optics must not absorb IR radiation. Doing so would result in heating and in significant changes to the shape of the mirrors, thus critically affect-ing LIGO’s ability to make the precise measurements it is designed to make. LIGO’s main mirrors absorb only one
photon out of every 3.3 million, the oth-ers being reflected (or transmitted).”
To absorb such little light, the mirrors are highly polished to nanometer smooth-ness and precision and are coated with dozens of layers of optical coatings to ensure that the 200-W laser beam travels precisely, smoothly, and with minimal loss through the interferometer.
Installation of such an incredible optical system was no straightforward task, either. To minimize disturbances, LIGO’s optics float in space, suspended on glass fibers hanging from a four-part pendulum system. The complex system reduces background noise, canceling out as much measurement-disrupting move-ments of the world as possible.
Because the observatories’ arms are so long, and must be so precise, even construction of the concrete tunnels that enclose the experiments themselves was no simple task.
According to the LIGO website, “LIGO’s arms are so long that the cur-vature of the Earth is a measurable 1 m (vertical) over the 4-km length of each arm. The most precise concrete pouring and leveling imaginable was required to counteract this curvature and ensure that LIGO’s vacuum chambers were truly ‘flat’ and level. Without this work, LIGO’s lasers would hit the end of each arm 1 m above the mirrors they are sup-posed to bounce off of!”
The paper describing the discovery, published in Physical Reviews Letters, is “Observation of gravitational waves from a binary black hole merger” (DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.116.061102). n
New 3-D printing process cre-ates harder, stronger ceramics that can stand the heat
Researchers at HRL Laboratories LLC in Malibu, Calif., have developed a way to additively manufacture ceramics that “overcomes the limits of traditional ceramic processing and enables high-temperature, high-strength ceramic com-ponents,” according to a recent HRL news release.
news & trends
Business newsSaint-Gobain to export refractories from India, set up new R&D center (saint-gobain.co.in)…Tethon 3D reaches Kickstarter goal for porcelain ceramic resin for 3-D printer in 48 hours (tethon3d.com)…Multinational companies perform majority of US business R&D (nsf.gov)…Alcoa wins fourth Boeing contract in string of recent deals (alcoa.com)…Rio Tinto agrees to sale of Mount Pleasant for $224M plus royalties (riotinto.com)…Owens Corning to acquire glass nonwo-vens and fabrics businesses of Ahlstrom (owenscorning.com)…GE Aviation cutting more than 7% of engineering workforce (geaviation.com)…Murata announces GRT series, automotive-grade monolithic ceramic capacitors (murata.com)…Saint-Gobain and Corning join to produce lightweight automotive glaz-ing (saint-gobain.com)…ThyssenKrupp begins operation of world’s first automated
sinter test facility (thyssen krupp-steel.com)…Digital modeling to enhance Morgan Advanced Materials’ brazed assemblies (morganadvanced materials.com)…Alcoa announces long-term contract with GE Aviation (alcoa.com)…US Silica announces price increases on silica and aplite products (ussilica.com)…Harper awarded major contract for nuclear material process-ing equipment (harperintl.com)…DOE announces $58M to advance fuel-efficient vehicle technologies (energy.gov)…DuPont deal and international sales push Blasch Precision to strongest year (blas-chceramics.com)…NREL patents method for continuous monitoring of materials during manufacturing (nrel.gov)…PPG works on repairs at California glass facil-ity (ppg.com)…New interactive website explores world of float glass manufactur-ing (worldofglassmap.com) n
A simulation shows the dance between two black holes before they merge into one, an event that created gravi-tational waves that scientists on earth have detected for the first time.
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The approach uses a new resin for-mulation invented by Zak Eckel, HRL’s senior chemical engineer, and Chaoyin Zhou, HRL’s senior chemist. The resin can be 3-D printed into parts of almost any size and shape and then can be fired at 1,000°C, converting the material to a fully dense ceramic that is 10 times stronger than comparable materials.
Processing ceramics is more challeng-ing than processing other materials—polymers or metals—because they cannot be cast or machined easily. Traditional processing methods consolidate ceramic parts from powders by sintering, which introduces porosity and limits the shape and strength of finished parts.
“With our new 3-D printing process we can take full advantage of the many desirable properties of this silicon oxy-carbide ceramic, including high hard-ness, strength, and temperature capabil-ity as well as resistance to abrasion and
corrosion,” Tobias Schaedler, program manager at HRL, says in the release.
An HRL video explaining the new milestone in 3-D printing technology is available at youtu.be/K15VyqHN11E.
The technology has a range of poten-tial applications across many indus-tries—specifically in the production of
large components in jet engines, parts for hypersonic vehicles, intricate parts in microelectromechanical systems, and even electronic device packaging.
The paper, recently published in Science, is “Additive manufacturing of polymer-derived ceramics” (DOI: 10.1126/science.aad2688). n
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HRL Laboratories’ new 3-D printing process fabricates ceramics that can withstand high temperatures.
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8 www.ceramics.org | American Ceramic Society Bulletin, Vol. 95, No. 3
acers spotlight
Pacific Refractories Ltd.Navi-Mumbai, India
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Reno Refractories Morris, Ala.
www.renorefractories.com
Technology Assessment and Transfer Inc. (TA&T)
Annapolis, Md. www.techassess.com
Welcome to our newest Corporate Members!
ACerS extends appreciation to orga-nizations that have joined the Society as Corporate Members. For more information on becoming a Corporate Member, contact Kevin Thompson at [email protected], or visit www.ceramics.org/corporate.
Society and Division news
Names in the newsHideo Hosono honored with 2016 Japan Prize for materials and production
Hideo Hosono of the Tokyo Institute of Technology and ACerS member received the 2016 Japan Prize for materials and production. Hosono was honored for his creation of unconventional inorganic materials with novel electronic functions based on nano-structure engineering, and was specifically recognized for chal-lenging conventional wisdom by creat-ing innovative materials. n
The late Neil Ault—Norton retiree—mentored high school students for six decades
Neil Ault, ACerS Fellow and Distinguished Life Member, passed away Feb. 11, 2016, at the age of 93.
Ault, originally from Findlay, Ohio, earned his Ph.D. in ceramic engineering from Ohio State University in 1950. After graduation, he took a position with Norton Company in Worcester, Mass., and stayed with the company until he retired.
His obituary states that he enjoyed “pondering what the future might look like 100 years from now.” But, more than pondering, he invested himself heavily in the people who could make that future a century out happen.
When the Soviet Union success-fully launched Sputnik in 1957, the Wachusett Regional School District, where Ault and his family lived in cen-tral Massachusetts, decided to “do some-thing” to prepare the next generation of students for careers in science.
The first Wachusett Regional High School (WRHS) Science Seminar select-ed an elite group of 12 students, who were guided by six advisors from the
community. Ault was one of the found-ing six advisors recruited in 1959, and he continued to serve as an advisor until his death. (Fellow ACerS members and long-time friends of Ault, Louis Trostel and Harry Strock, also became advisors, serving 50 and 31 years, respectively.)
Marina Pascucci, ACerS past presi-dent, says, “Neil made a commitment to the Science Seminar and followed through. He gave it his all.” The pro-gram has impacted well over 1,000 stu-dents under the guidance of more than 50 advisors since its inception.
Besides his work with high school stu-dents, Ault “was a constant in the New England Section” of ACerS, according to Pascucci. He rarely missed a Section meeting, to which he carpooled with his pals, Trostel and Strock.
Ault leaves Anne, his wife of nearly 70 years, a daughter, two sons and their families, including two grandchildren—and thousands of high school students whose lives and careers he touched and helped form. n
From 2008 (left to right)—Harry Strock, Lou Trostel, and Neil Ault (far right) pres-ent a check from the New England Section Neil N. Ault Education Fund to Carol Sullivan, Wachusett Regional High School science department chair.
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Pye to receive Michigan/NW Ohio Section Award
ACerS Michigan/NW Ohio Section will honor L. David Pye—dean and professor of glass sci-ence and engineering, emeritus, New York State College of Ceramics at
Alfred University, and chief executive officer of The Empire State Glassworks LLC with the 2016 Toledo Glass & Ceramic Award. The award recognizes distinguished scientific, technical, or engineering achievements in glass and ceramics.
Pye is an ACerS Distinguished Life Member, Fellow, and past president of ACerS. He currently serves as editor-in-chief of the International Journal of Applied Glass Science and is a member of the Ceramic and Glass Industry Foundation Board of Trustees.
The award ceremony will be held April 14 at Heather Downs Country Club in Toledo, Ohio.
Note: The ceremony location is dif-ferent this year than past years. The address is:
Heather Downs Country Club3910 Heatherdowns Blvd.Toledo, Ohio 43614For more information or to make a
reservation, contact Fred Stover at [email protected] or at 419-304-2278 or 419-878-0001 by April 1. n
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Students and outreach
Apply now for the ACerS PCSA class of 2016-2017
The President’s Council of Student Advisors (PCSA) is ACerS student-led committee of ceramic- and glass-focused students. PCSA is looking for dedicated and motivated undergraduate and graduate students to join the program. To apply, visit ceramics.org/pcsa. The deadline to submit applications is April 15, 2016. n
Student contests at MS&T16 The following Material Advantage
student contests will be held at MS&T this year in Salt Lake City, Utah:
• Undergraduate Student Poster Contest
• Undergraduate Student Speaking Contest
• Graduate Student Poster Contest• Ceramic Mug Drop Contest• Ceramic Disc Golf ContestFor more information on the
contests or student activities at MS&T, visit matscitech.org/stu-dents, or contact Tricia Freshour at [email protected]. n
10 www.ceramics.org | American Ceramic Society Bulletin, Vol. 95, No. 3
acers spotlight
Awards and deadlines
Award nominations due May 15NEW! Samuel Geijsbeek PACRIM International Award
This new award recognizes individu-als who are members of the Pacific Rim Conference (PACRIM) societies for contributions to the field of ceramics and glass technology that have resulted in significant industrial or academic impact, international advocacy, and visibility of the field. Two Geijsbeek awards will be presented at PACRIM 2017. The Geijsbeek Award consists of a certificate and $1,000 honorarium.
Glass & Optical Materials Division: Alfred R. Cooper Scholars Award
This award recognizes undergraduate students who have demonstrated excel-lence in research, engineering, study in glass science or technology. The recipient will receive a plaque, a check for $500, and free MS&T registration.
Electronics Division: Edward C. Henry Award
This award recognizes an outstand-ing paper reporting original work in the Journal of the American Ceramic Society or the ACerS Bulletin during the previous calendar year on a subject related to electronic ceramics. The author(s) will be presented with a plaque and $500 (split between authors).
Electronics Division: Lewis C. Hoffman Scholarship
This $2,000 tuition award encourages academic interest and excellence among undergraduate students. The 2016 essay topic is: electronic ceramics for electrical or electromagnetic energy control.
How to nominateAdditional information and nomina-
tion forms can be found at ceramics.org/awards. Contact Marcia Stout at [email protected] with questions. The deadline to submit nominations for these awards is May 15. n
Nominations open for Mueller, Bridge Building, and Global Young Investigator awards
The Engineering Ceramics Division invites nominations for the 2017 James I. Mueller, Bridge Building, and Global Young Investigator awards. All three awards include a $1,000 honorarium, a plaque or glass piece, and a certificate.
The deadline for submitting nomina-tions for all three awards is July 1, 2016.
The Mueller Award honors the con-tributions of James I. Mueller to the Engineering Ceramics Division and the field of engineering ceramics. Recipients of this award have long-term service to ECD or work that has resulted in signifi-cant industrial, national, or academic impact in the field. Selection can be based on either criteria. Contact Soshu Kirihara at [email protected] for more information.
The Bridge Building Award recognizes individuals outside the United States who have made outstanding contribu-tions to engineering ceramics. The main criteria are the individual's con-tributions to the field of engineering ceramics, including expansion of the knowledge base and commerical use thereof, or contributions to the visibility of the field on an international stage. Award selection can be based on either criteria. Contact Andrew Gyekenyesi at [email protected] for more information.
The Global Young Investigator Award recognizes an outstanding scientist con-ducting research in academia, industry, or at a government-funded laboratory. ACerS members 35 years of age or younger are eligible for consideration. Contact Jingyang Wang at [email protected] for more information. n
ACerS Corporate Members: Take advantage of the Ceramic and Glass Industry Career Center
To address the growing need for qualified ceramic and glass engineers, researchers, and scientists, the Ceramic and Glass Industry Foundation (CGIF) created the Ceramic and Glass Career Center—the premier online resource for matching talented, qualified job and intern-ship seekers with the best career opportunities at leading organizations in the ceramic and glass industry.
Companies and organizations can take advantage of the site’s user-friendly interface to post comprehensive job and internship descriptions to ensure they are targeting and attracting the right candidates. The easy-to-navigate career search tool helps job and internship seek-ers find the right opportunities.
ACerS Corporate Members can post unlimited internship and job listings for free. Even those who have not yet joined the ACerS Corporate Membership program can post internships online for no charge. This valuable tool is free to all job and internship seekers.
To learn more, visit careers.ceramics.org. For more information about CGIF, visit founda-tion.ceramics.org or contact Marcus Fish, CGIF development director, at 614-794-5863. n
Ceramic Tech Today blog
www.ceramics.org/ceramictechtoday
11American Ceramic Society Bulletin, Vol. 95, No. 3 | www.ceramics.org
Materials science company Lucideon (Stoke-on-Trent, United Kingdom) has developed a new strategy that can pre-vent drug abusers from using dangerous high-increasing methods of taking opioid analgesics, a class of drugs that includes oxycodone, fentanyl, and methadone. The company’s ceramic pills are much more structurally robust than traditional pharmaceuticals, making them very dif-ficult to crush or to dissolve into alcohol or other solvents.
Because the ceramic pills are porous, Lucideon can embed pharmaceutical drugs within the pills’ pores. Those pores then release the drug into the body once the pill is ingested, a development the company calls inorganic controlled release technology, or iCRT.
The pills are made of a silica-based material and have a high melting point, a feature that further deters drug abuse via injection because heating to such high temperatures would in the process destroy the drug’s activity. If commer-cialized, the technology could offer an unlikely ally to effectively fight opioid painkiller abuse.
Lucideon fabricates the silica pills with a proprietary method that creates a nano-porous material that confers tight control over dose release rate, says Gemma Budd, business manager of Lucideon Healthcare, in a phone interview. The process can gen-erate pores that are 2–5 nm in diameter within the ceramic matrix.
Although the com-pany will not disclose details of its propri-etary manufacturing technique, Budd says it is a sol–gel process—
a benefit for manufacturing because it does not require high temperatures, which can destroy drug activity. Drugs can be loaded into pores of the material before or after processing, depending on the drug formulation itself or the intended therapeutic outcome.
According to Budd, Lucideon believes that controlled charges on the pore sur-faces make it much easier for the drug to be released in the intended environment within the body rather than in solvents such as alcohol.
Taken orally, ceramic pills release their embedded drugs within the body, and then the pill itself passes through the gastrointestinal tract. Although the ceramics do break down somewhat in the intestinal tract, Lucideon does not expect that this degradation will be problematic, because silica is considered biosafe, Budd says.
Further, the company soon will establish biocompatibility profiles for its ceramic pills—Lucideon is about to enter into clinical trials with one of its phar-maceutical partners. n
ceramics in biomedicine
Lucideon develops nanoporous ceramic pills to prevent abuse of painkillers
Painkiller pill abuse is a problem worldwide, but materials science company Lucideon has developed a new ceramic solution to prevent some types of abuse.
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A Food and Drug Administration report from 2006 found that battery or capacitor abnormalities accounted for 23.6% of failed pacemakers and implanted defibrillators. Although only 0.65% of the almost three mil-lion such devices examined in the study failed, 61 patients died because of device failures. Although that is a small percentage of the overall study population, the data mean that 61 lives could potentially have been saved by better materials or better ways to monitor those materials.
Researchers at the National Insti-tute of Standards and Technology may be on to something that can help with better materials monitor-ing—they have devised a new nonde-structive method that may be able to detect cracks in materials before they lead to device failure.
The NIST scientists, in collabora-tion with scientists at the University of Maryland, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, and Colorado State University, have developed a testing prototype that they show can detect cracks in barium titanate-based mul-tilayer ceramic capacitors.
The method uses a brief electric field to make the capacitor vibrate at a particular frequency and then measures how the signal decays over time. The scientists measure how the frequency shifts in relation to the vibration. This provides important clues into the integrity of the capaci-tor, because cracks in the material create greater frequency shifts.
Absolute shifts in frequency are important—but this approach also has a significant and integral advantage in that it can assess vari-ous capacitors, according to a NIST press release about the work. “This nonlinear approach—focusing on frequency shifts relative to signal strength rather than the frequency
shifts alone—is especially useful because it is not affected by slight variations in size of the capacitors.”
To test how well it could work, the scientists applied the technique to 41 barium titanate capacitors (2 mm × 3 mm) before and after a round of thermal abuse designed to generate cracks in the ceramic.
Using a box furnace, the scien-tists heated the capacitors to 189°C and then plunged them into ice water, generating surface-breaking cracks in some of the specimens (27 of the 41), the authors write in the report’s abstract.
They then compared the before and after acoustic measurements to determine if the data revealed noticeable differences between mea-surements for visibly-cracked and non-visibly-cracked capacitors.
“The non-linear acoustic results were strongly cor-related with the presence of visible cracks: Measurements on 25 of the 27 visibly cracked capacitors yield-ed results that were outside the range of those for capacitors without cracks,” according to the NIST release.
The authors say these results, although not perfect, show
the potential of the method to reli-ably detect cracks. They call it a “promising approach,” meaning that the results could pan out with further tweaking and optimization of the method.
In addition to ceramic capaci-tors, the researchers also say that the method may help detect structural anomalies in other materials as well.
The open-access paper, published in conference proceedings from the 2015 Annual Review of Progress in Quantitative Nondestructive Evalu-ation, is “Time–domain analysis of resonant acoustic nonlinearity arising from cracks in multilayer ceramic capacitors” (DOI: dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.4940511). n
Acoustic detection method may identify early cracks in ceramic capacitors and beyond
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NIST studied 3-mm-long capacitors (top), looking for cracks similar to the one shown in the NASA photo (bottom).
This article first appears exclusively in the Bulletin, and can later be found online on Ceramic Tech Today.
Research News
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Ceramic nanoparticles infiltrate metal to create lighter, stronger material
Researchers at the University of California Los Angeles and Missouri University of Science & Technology have developed a new super-strong yet super-lightweight metal nanocomposite—a metal that owes its surprising strength to ceramic nanoparticles.
“It’s been proposed that nanoparticles could really enhance the strength of metals without damaging their plasticity, espe-cially light metals like magnesium, but no groups have been able to disperse ceramic nanoparticles in molten metals until now,” Xiaochun Li, Raytheon Chair in Manufacturing Engineering at UCLA and principal investigator on the research, says in a UCLA press release. “With an infusion of physics and materials process-ing, our method paves a new way to enhance the performance of many different kinds of metals by evenly infusing dense nanopar-ticles to enhance the performance of metals to meet energy and sustainability challenges in today’s society.”
Although the idea of adding ceramic particles to enhance the strength of metals is not new, getting the particles evenly dispersed has remained a persistent problem with this concept.
“Ceramic particles have been used in metal matrices to further improve the strength of metals, but they tend to clump together, reducing the strengthening efficiency, degrading the metal’s plas-ticity, and making them hard to machine,” Lianyi Chen, assistant
Economical extraction of rare-earth elements from coalA team of Pennsylvania State University (State College, Pa.) and U.S. Department of Energy researchers has found a cost-effective and environmentally friendly way to extract rare-earth elements from coal. Using byproducts of coal production, the team investigated whether ion exchange could more safely extract rare earths. The team reports that ammonium sulfate is environmentally friendly and able to extract the highest amount of rare earths. The team also identified locations within the coal seam that contain the highest amounts of rare-earth elements—often the highest concentration is found in the poorest-quality coal. For more information, visit news.psu.edu.
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At left, a deformed sample of pure metal; at right, the strong new metal made of magnesium with silicon carbide nanopar-ticles. Each central micropillar is about 4 μm across.
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research briefs
professor of materials science and mechan-ical and aerospace engineering at Missouri S&T and lead author of the new research, says in a Missouri S&T press release.
The UCLA–Missouri S&T team has found a way around these past problems, using its technique to achieve a uniform distribution of silicon carbide nanopar-ticles in a magnesium–zinc alloy.
The scientists started with a low con-centration of nanoparticles, adding just 1% by volume silicon carbide nanopar-ticles into the molten alloy. Evaporating the alloy within a vacuum furnace con-centrated the nanoparticles, resulting in a final composition of ~14% by volume silicon carbide and ~86% magnesium, the team reports in Nature.
“The evenly dispersed nanoparticles provide strength throughout the metal and improve plasticity simultaneously,” Chen says in the Missouri S&T press release.
According to the UCLA release, homogenously distributed silicon carbide gives the metal record specific strength and specific modulus, and the metal nanocomposite retains excellent stability under high temperatures, too.
But how and why did the nanoparticles distribute so evenly, when this problem has persistently plagued other researchers?
The authors hypothesize the process evenly disperses nanoparticles because of three reasons, they write in the paper’s methods. “The self-stabilization of dispersed SiC nanoparticles in magne-sium melt is attributed to a synergy of reduced van der Waals forces between
the nanoparticles in molten magnesium, a high thermal energy of the nanopar-ticles, and a high energy barrier prevent-ing nanoparticles from sintering owing to a reasonable wettability between nanoparticles and molten magnesium.”
In addition to improving metal’s strength and plasticity, the research-ers say their new technique is scalable, although this work is only the beginning.
“Although the method reported here is scalable in principle, many efforts are still needed to realize large-volume man-ufacturing from practical applications,” Chen says in the Missouri S&T release.
The research paper, published in Nature, is “Processing and properties of magnesium containing a dense uniform dispersion of nanoparticles” (DOI: 10.1038/nature16445). n
Graphene and glass pair up to create robust electronic mate-rial that is scalable
Scientists at the United States Depart-ment of Energy’s Brookhaven National Laboratory, Stony Brook University, and SUNY Polytechnic Institute devel-oped a simple and power-ful method for creating resilient, customized, and high-performing graphene: layering it on top of soda–lime glass.
“We believe that this work could significantly
advance the development of truly scal-able graphene technologies,” Matthew Eisaman, study coauthor and physicist at Brookhaven and professor at Stony Brook, says in a Brookhaven news release.
The sodium inside the soda–lime glass creates high electron density in the graphene, which is essential to many processes and has been chal-lenging to achieve, coauthor Nanditha Dissanayake of Voxtel Inc. (formerly of Brookhaven) explains in the release.
The study, published in Scientific Reports, is “Spontaneous and strong multi-layer graphene n-doping on soda–lime glass and its application in gra-phene-semiconductor junctions” (DOI: 10.1038/srep21070).
But the headlines do not stop at the partnership between graphene and glass.
Graphene is a metal that behaves similar to water. Researchers at Harvard University recently found that “when the strongly interacting particles in graphene were driven by an electric field, they behaved not like individual particles but like a fluid that could be described by
New option manipulates interfaces in metal oxide sandwichesUsing a synchrotron to investigate a sandwich system of transition-metal oxides, Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (Germany) scientists have discovered a new option to control properties of the interface between sandwich layers. The scientists investigated charge transfer between samples consisting of gadolinium titanate and rare-earth nickelate films. Their results show that charge transfer at the interface between the oxides strongly depends on the rare-earth element in the nickelate layer. The insights might help create new properties at the interface and even novel forms of high-temperature superconductivity. For more information, visit helmholtz-berlin.de.
Riddle of cement’s structure is finally solvedAn international team of researchers has solved the riddle of cement hydrate (calcium silicate hydrate, CSH) and identified key factors in its structure that could help researchers produce more durable concrete. One key question was whether solidified CSH, which is composed of particles of various sizes, should be considered a continuous matrix or an assembly of discrete particles. The answer is both—particle distribution is such that space between grains is filled by yet smaller grains, to the point that it approximates a continuous solid. The new simulations are the first that can adequately match sometimes conflicting results from CSH experiments. For more information, visit news.mit.edu.
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Illustration of the molecular structure of graphene.
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hydrodynamics,” according to a Harvard news release.“Instead of watching how a single particle was affected by
an electric or thermal force, we could see the conserved energy as it flowed across many particles, like a wave through water,” says first author Jesse Crossno, a graduate student in the Kim Lab at Harvard.
That paper, published in Science, is “Observation of the Dirac fluid and the breakdown of the Wiedemann–Franz law in graphene” (DOI: 10.1126/science.aad0343).
Further, graphene safely interacts with neurons in the brain, broadening the material’s potential biomedical applications. Researchers at the University of Trieste in Italy and the Cam-bridge Graphene Centre at the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom found for the first time that graphene can be used to make electrodes for implantation in the human brain, “which could potentially be used to restore sensory func-tions for amputee or paralyzed patients, or for individuals with motor disorders such as Parkinson’s disease,” according to a Cambridge news release.
That study, published in ACS Nano, is “Graphene-based interfaces do not alter target nerve cells” (DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.5b05647). n
Conductive concrete cost-effectively heats up to melt away snow and ice
A pinch of steel shavings and a dash of carbon particles may soon make the recipe for success when it comes to winter roadway travel.
Researchers at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln have devel-oped a winning recipe for electrically conductive concrete that can gently heat up to melt away icy accumulations, yet remain safe to the touch.
The team, led by civil engineering professor Chris Tuan, says that swapping out just 20% of the standard concrete formulation with a bit of steel fibers and shavings and carbon particles is enough to conduct electricity throughout the ubiq-uitous building material.
Self-heating lithium-ion battery could beat the winter woes A lithium-ion battery that self heats if the temperature is below 32°F has multiple applications, according to researchers from Pennsylvania State University and EC Power (State College, Pa.). Conventional batteries suffer severe power loss and, thus, slow charging in cold weather. The researchers developed an all-climate battery that incorporates a 50-μm-thick nickel foil with one end attached to the negative terminal and the other extending outside the cell to create a third terminal. A temperature sensor attached to a switch causes electrons to flow through the nickel foil to complete the circuit. This rapidly heats up the nickel foil and warms the battery. For more information, visit news.psu.edu.
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Connecting the conductive concrete to a low power source gives it the heat to melt away snow and ice. “There are two steel rods running lengthwise along the pavement,” Tuan says in an email. “Various power sources, ac or dc, may be applied. We have used three-phase, 208-V ac with success. You turn the power on a few hours before the storm, and turn it off when not needed.”
The team is currently testing a 200-ft2 slab of its conductive concrete at the uni-versity’s campus for the Federal Aviation Administration, which may incorporate the material into future airport tarmacs. The testing runs through March 2016, according to a University of Nebraska press release.
“To my surprise, they don’t want to use it for the runways,” Tuan says in the release. “What they need is the tarmac around the gated areas cleared, because they have so many carts to unload—lug-
gage service, food service, trash service, fuel service—that all need to get into those areas.”
Clearing the way for service carts to access planes, especially during inclem-ent weather, could greatly reduce travel delays in cold climates.
And there’s rather good reason to think the concrete test will be a success. Tuan and his team previously completed a five-year trial of conductive concrete on the Roca Spur Bridge just south of Lincoln, in Roca, Neb. The heated bridge deck, installed in 2002, contains 52 conductive concrete slabs that have proved how effective the material solu-tion could be in targeted places, such as on bridges.
“Bridges always freeze up first, because they’re exposed to the elements on top and bottom,” Tuan says in the release. “It’s not cost-effective to build entire roadways using conductive concrete, but you can use it at certain locations where you always get ice or have potholes.”
A Roca Spur Bridge project report from the Nebraska Department of Roads estimates an energy cost of just $250 to heat the bridge during a typical Nebraska winter storm—several times less than the cost of a truckload of de-icing chemicals.
In addition to its clear benefits for travel and cost, heated concrete could benefit the environment and city work-ers, too. According to the release, “Pot-holes often originate from the liberal use of salt or de-icing chemicals that can corrode concrete and contaminate groundwater over time, Tuan said, mak-ing the conductive concrete an appealing
alternative with lower operating and maintenance costs.”
Many teams have attempted versions of conductive concrete in the past, but those attempts have failed in implemen-tation because of high operating costs. According to a National Geographic arti-cle, the new concrete developed by Tuan and his team “uses byproducts from the coal and steel industries to reduce costs 60% compared to earlier trials.” n
Faster, cheaper technique for creating cubic boron nitride promises a next-gen power grid
In December 2015, scientists at North Carolina State University, including ACerS member Jay Narayan, discovered a new phase of solid carbon that is harder than diamonds and can be formed at room temperature and at ambient atmospheric pressure. Called Q-carbon, this new phase is distinct from known phases of graphite and diamond.
Now Narayan and his colleagues are making news again.
In addition to discovering a new phase of boron nitride called Q-BN, the scientists also have developed a new technique for creating cubic boron nitride (c-BN) at ambient temperature and pressure, a technique that could lead to advancements across many applications, including power grid technologies, according to a recent NC State news release.
“This is a sequel to our Q-carbon discovery and converting Q-carbon into
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Chris Tuan stands on the test slab of conductive concrete at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
Ceramic firefighting foam strengthens with temperatureScientists at ITMO University (St. Petersburg, Russia), in collaboration with research company SOPOT, have developed a novel type of firefighting foam based on inorganic silica nanoparticles. The new foam beats existing analogues in fire-extinguishing capacity, thermal and mechanical stability, and biocompatibility. After the fire is extinguished, the substance actively absorbs water, softens, and falls apart into bioinert silica particles. Large-scale experiments of the hardening foam showed that it can create a flame-retardant belt to stop the spread of forest fire. For more information, visit newswise.com.
Low-cost yet high-precision glass nanoengravingScientists from Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, Institute of Chemical Physics, Moscow State University, and Institute of Problems of Chemical Physics have developed a mechanism of laser deposition of patterns on glass with a resolution of 0.001 the width of a human hair. Small glass spheres, playing the role of the lens, helped focus the laser. This mechanism allows inexpensive and relatively easy fabrication of complex patterns on a glass surface, thereby obtaining a spatial resolu-tion of less than 100 nm. For more information, visit mipt.ru/en/news. n
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diamond,” Narayan says in the release. “We have bypassed what were thought to be the limits of boron nitride’s thermodynam-ics with the help of kinetics and time control.”
The team’s results suggest that Q-BN is even harder than diamond and may be useful for cutting tools. c-BN is a form of boron nitride that has a cubic crystalline structure comparable to diamond, the release explains, but c-BN ticks some boxes dia-monds just cannot.
Those include potential biomedical applications, a higher bandgap for higher-power electronics and solid-state devices, and effective transistors, because the material can be “doped” to give it positively and negatively charged layers.
The material also forms an oxide layer on its surface when exposed to oxygen, making it stable at high temperatures and in oxygen-ambient environments and potentially useful as a protec-tive coating for high-speed machining tools.
And the new technique for creating c-BN is faster and less expensive than previous methods—which equals better scale-up potential.
Creating c-BN used to require heating hexagonal boron nitride to 3,500 K (5,840°F) and applying 95,000 atm of pres-sure, the release explains.
“Using this technique, we are able to create up to a 100- to 200-square-inch film of Q-BN or c-BN in one second,” Narayan says.
Armed with their latest innovation, Narayan and his team have their sights set on the future with the goal to transform the way high-powered devices are constructed for better efficiency.
“We’re optimistic that our discovery will be used to develop c-BN-based transistors and high-powered devices to replace bulky transformers and help create the next generation of the power grid,” Narayan says.
The paper, published in APL Materials, is “Research update: Direct conversion of h-BN into pure c-BN at ambient tempera-tures and pressures in air” (DOI: 10.1063/1.4941095). n
Scanning electron micrograph of c-BN nanocrystallites devel-oped by researchers at North Carolina State University.
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research briefs
Two years ago, scientists at Karlsruhe Institute of Technol-ogy reported that they had used 3-D laser lithography to build ceramic microlattice structures that were surprisingly strong.
An organized hier-archy that consists of nanoscale building blocks gives those porous structures their strength, lead author Jens Bauer said at the time. “Because the size of the building blocks is that small, the material is much more flaw tolerant and, therefore, has a higher strength,” Bauer said.
So what if the size of the building blocks was even smaller—would the mate-rial be that much more flaw tolerant and that much stronger? KIT scientists set out to answer that question by shrinking their previous creation with the fabrica-tion of smaller-yet nanolattice structures.
Bauer and KIT scientists again turned to 3-D laser lithography to hard-en a polymer photoresist with a com-puter-controlled laser beam. Although this method is great at fabricating intri-cate, precise, and tiny structures, it has just one small problem—it cannot go small enough.
The KIT team wanted to build nanolat-tice structures so small that they fall below the resolution limit of laser lithography, which can build structures with struts as small as ~5–10 μm long and 1 μm wide.
So the team devised a new technique. After fabricating microlattice structures with laser lithography, the scientists added a pyrolysis step that shrinks the lattice by 80%, resulting in über-small vitrified structures with struts shorter than 1 μm long and just 200 nm wide.
During pyrolysis, firing to ~900°C in a vacuum furnace initiates a game of
chemical bond rearrangement, leaving behind only glassy carbon nanolattices that are five-times smaller than compa-rable metamaterials.
So they are small, but are they compa-rably strong?
“According to the results, load-bearing capacity of the lattice is very close to the theoretical limit and far above that of unstructured glassy carbon,” coauthor Oliver Kraft says in a KIT press release. “Diamond is the only solid having a higher specific stability.”
The paper, published in Nature Materials, is “Approaching theoretical strength in glassy carbon nanolattices” (DOI: 10.1038/nmat4561). n
Sick of the brick? Piezoelectric transformers poised to shrink power convertersby A. Erkan Gurdal, S. Tuncdemir, and C.A. Randall
Even though electronic devices have become significantly smaller in past decades, adapters for charging and supply-ing power to those devices have remained largely the same. Adapters—technically known as power converters—have not changed simply because of limitations of electromagnetic transformers.
Piezoelectric materials can convert mechanical to electrical energy and vice versa. Given the solid-state nature of piezoelectric transformers, they offer a major advantage over electromagnetic transformers in their high efficiency in ultracompact volumes.
Therefore, piezoelectric transformers have tremendous potential in electronic applications where size and weight matter, such as avionics and portable electronics. On the other hand, piezo-electric transformers can cost signifi-cantly more and have driving circuits that are more complicated than electro-magnetic transformers.
Piezoelectric transformers require the use of hard piezoelectric ceramic materi-als, or hard-piezoceramics, which require high temperatures (>1,200˚C) to form the ceramic structure. The most notable piezoelectric materials—Pb(Zr,Ti)O
3
(PZT) and BaTiO3 (BT)—have ceramic
perovskite structures.Designing devices with multilayer
forms, where piezoceramic and metal layers are stacked alternatively on top of each other, can maximize power (capacitance) in compact volumes. However, multilayer structures require large amounts of metal, which is mostly limited to platinum because of the high processing temperatures required for hard piezoceramics. Because power is proportional to layer count and, there-fore, the amount of electrode used, use of large amounts of precious metals can significantly increase production costs.
Hence, hard-piezoceramic composi-tions need to be modified to lower pro-cessing (sintering) temperatures, which would allow use of cheaper and electri-cally and thermally competent precious metals or alloys—preferably base-metal electrodes, such as silver/silver–palla-dium and copper and nickel.
Hard PZT is one of the most, if not the most, utilized hard piezoceramic. Unfortunately, nickel is not chemically compatible with hard PZT. However, copper seems promising considering previous results with copper cofired multilayer piezoceramics with soft PZT.
The smallest lattice in the world is visible by micrograph only. Struts and braces are 0.2 μm in diameter. Total size of the lattice is ~10 μm.
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Moreover, previous studies have investigated hard PZT compo-sitions with low sintering temperatures, but they were not prac-tically applied to cofired multilayer piezoelectric transformers.
Therefore, research at Pennsylvania State University and Solid State Ceramics Incorporated (University Park, Pa.) inves-tigated how to substantially lower process temperatures for a typical hard-PZT composition. This accomplishment would allow use of less expensive electrode materials, such as silver or silver–palladium, and base-metal electrodes, such as copper.
To realize these goals, the team developed modified hard-PZT piezoceramic compositions with low sintering tempera-tures (≤1,000˚C). It demonstrated high efficiency of these materials in multilayer piezoelectric transformers with silver–palladium cofired electrodes with low palladium content (i.e., 90/10 and 95/5).
The team also investigated the feasibility of copper cofiring and prototyped copper cofired multilayer piezoelectric trans-formers. The efforts included typical multilayer prototyping for overall and ambient sintering for silver–palladium cofired piezoelectric transformers. Scientists used reducing-atmosphere sintering for copper cofiring feasibility investigations and cop-per cofired piezoelectric transformer prototypes.
The results show that by using less-expensive electrode materials—specifically base-metal electrodes, such as copper—it is possible to significantly reduce the cost of piezoelectric transformers so that they can compete with the cheaper price of electromagnetic transformers. Moreover, initial characteriza-tions on copper cofired multilayer transformers show signifi-cantly improved thermal and electrical behaviors compared to other materials, which should correlate with significant improvements in device performance.
With recent improvements in piezo-driver technology, in conjunction with these developments, the tremendous poten-tial of piezoelectric transformers can be realized in the elec-tronics industry. n
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Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have devel-oped a proof-of-concept for “solar cells so thin, flexible, and light-weight that they could be placed on almost any material or surface, including your hat, shirt, or smart-phone, or even on a sheet of paper or a helium balloon,” according to an MIT press release.
The real deal may be years away from large-scale development, but this new approach to making solar cells could be key in powering the next generation of portable electron-ic devices, the release explains.
MIT professor Vladimir Bulovi c, research scientist Annie Wang, and doctoral student Joel Jean say the key is to make the solar cell, the substrate that supports it, and a pro-tective overcoating to shield it from the environment all in one process, according to the release.
“The innovative step is the realiza-tion that you can grow the substrate at the same time as you grow the device,” Bulovi c says.
The single-process approach means the substrate is not handled, cleaned, or removed from the vacuum during fabrication, drastically minimizing any exposure to contaminants that might degrade performance.
For the substrate and the over-coating, the team used a common flexible polymer called parylene—a commercially available plastic coating used to protect implanted biomedi-cal devices and printed circuit boards from environmental damage—and an organic material called DBP as the primary light-absorbing layer, the release explains.
And, unlike conventional solar cell manufacturing, which requires high temperatures and harsh chemi-cals, this process takes place in a vac-uum chamber at room temperature and sans solvents. “The substrate
and the solar cell are ‘grown’ using established vapor deposition tech-niques,” the release explains.
The materials used in this proof-of-concept were just examples—the in-line substrate manufacturing process is the key innovation, the team emphasizes.
“Different materials could be used for the substrate and encapsulation layers, and different types of thin-film solar cell materials, including quan-tum dots or perovskites, could be sub-stituted for the organic layers used in initial tests,” the scientists explain.
For the proof-of-concept, the team used a flexible parylene film—only one-tenth as thick as traditional kitchen cling wrap—and deposited it on glass, a more sturdy carrier mate-rial. After fabrication, the scientists lifted the entire parylene/solar cell/parylene stack off the carrier using a frame made of flexible film.
The final ultrathin product is just one-fiftieth the thickness of a strand of human hair and one-thousandth the thickness of equivalent cells on glass substrates—which are about two micrometers thick. Yet, “they convert sunlight into electricity just as
efficiently as their glass-based coun-terparts,” says the team.
The researchers demonstrated just how thin these thin solar cells are by draping a working cell on top of a soap bubble without popping the bubble.
That is impressively thin—but is it too thin to be practical?
“Parylene films of thicknesses of up to 80 micrometers can be depos-ited easily using commercial equip-ment, without losing the other ben-efits of in-line substrate formation,” the team says.
The time it will take to scale-up this material is still up in the air, but this work could be a new frontier in the solar power revolution.
“We have a proof-of-concept that works,” Bulovi c says. “The next question is, how many miracles does it take to make it scalable? We think it’s a lot of hard work ahead, but likely no miracles needed.”
The research, published in Organic Electronics, is “In situ vapor-deposited parylene substrates for ultra-thin, lightweight organic solar cells” (DOI: 10.1016/j.orgel.2016.01.022). n
Ultrathin, superlight, flexible solar cells could power next-gen portable electronics
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To demonstrate the thinness and lightness of newly developed solar cells, MIT researchers draped a working cell on top of a soap bubble, without popping the bubble.
This article first appears exclusively in the Bulletin, and can later be found online on Ceramic Tech Today.
21American Ceramic Society Bulletin, Vol. 95, No. 3 | www.ceramics.org
Perovskites paired with silicon could create higher-efficiency solar cells
Researchers at the University of Oxford in England say perovskites are the class of materials that will change the solar cell game not by themselves, but when partnered with our reli-able standby material, silicon.
The team—led by Henry Snaith, physicist at Oxford and leading perovskite researcher—says, “It should be possible to make a silicon–perovskite ‘tandem’ device that is more than 25% efficient, higher than the performance of today’s com-mercially available silicon cells, which are about 17%–20% efficient,” according to an MIT Technology Review article about the work.
Working with perovskite-based technologies is challeng-ing because of the material’s sensitivity to moisture and air as well as subsequent durability necessary to survive the long lifetimes required of power systems, the article explains.
So Snaith and his colleagues came up with a method that “relies on substituting certain ions in the material with cesi-um ions, to achieve the desired photovoltaic properties while maintaining the material’s structural stability,” according to the article.
And, according to the team, the process could be integrat-ed into existing silicon panel manufacturing lines by adding a few steps, improving the odds for effective scale-up potential.
In fact, Snaith and his team are so optimistic about the scale-up potential of this materials pair that Snaith’s company, Oxford PV, aims to deliver a commercial tandem perovskite–sili-con product sometime in 2017.
The paper, published in Science, is “A mixed-cation lead mixed-halide perovskite absorber for tandem solar cells” (DOI: 10.1126/science.aad5845). n
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Capturing solar energy may become more efficient through a novel pairing of silicon and perovskite.
See us at Ceramics Expo, booth #510
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www.ceramics.org | American Ceramic Society Bulletin, Vol. 95, No. 322
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Scaling up—The high potential of additive manufacturing for the ceramics
industry
By Monika Homa
Formerly used to create rapid prototypes, additive
manufacturing has come into its own for production-
scale manufacture. As the technology has grown, so
has one small Austria-based company.
Lithoz GmbH (Vienna, Austria)—built on the strength of a decade
of research—developed an additive manu-facturing (AM) process that allows, for the first time, production of dense, finely struc-tured, high-performance ceramic parts. Lithoz manufactures ceramic parts using lithography-based ceramic manufactur-ing (LCM) technology to enable creation of complex, strong, and high-resolution objects from various ceramics for industrial and medical applications. This article gives
a portrait of a young company that navigated through the start-up phase and now is estab-lishing itself as a world market leader of AM systems for high-performance ceramics. The rapid rise of the company shows the huge growth potential of the technology and gives first insights about developments as well as economical and technological perspectives of AM for advanced ceramics.
Since its beginnings in the 1980s, AM, often also referred to as rapid prototyping or 3-D printing, has developed into one of the most dynamic and most promising areas of innova-tion in the manufacturing industry worldwide. The market value of AM, estimated at €1.7 billion in 2012, is expected to quadruple by 2022.1 AM technologies already are established successfully in various industries (e.g., hearing aids) and vari-ous materials, including metals or plastics.
AM also has been gaining more importance in the ceramics industry recently. In addition to opening up new markets and the creation of improved applications, the technology has the potential to create radical innovations in the future and, thus, can change the market significantly.
Figure 1. Johannes Benedikt (left) and Johannes Homa (right) with their CeraFab system.
23American Ceramic Society Bulletin, Vol. 95, No. 3 | www.ceramics.org
AM often is put on a level with “rapid prototyping.” This refers to the early days of AM, when the technology was used only for prototype production. The tool-less production method enabled companies to make full-function prototypes quickly and inexpensively compared to conventional prototyp-ing methods. Even now, companies looking for an inexpensive way to make single pieces and small production runs find AM is an efficient pathway. In addition, AM is getting more and more important for the industry on larger scales, too, for mass customization and individualization of ceramic products.
AM opens up limitless opportunities in terms of design and geometrical freedom, because it eliminates problems related to the demolding process, because parts are fabricated tool-free. Engineers use new design rules to create entirely new geometries that would not be possible with conventional manufacturing methods. For the first time, designers can implement highly complex geometries containing undercuts, cavities, or defined cellular structures. Thus, they are changing from production toward function-oriented designs.
AM also is particularly suitable for a comprehensive inte-gration of functions by combining different parts into one. Functional integration aims to combine as many technical functions as possible with the fewest components. Often, func-tional integration leads to highly complex geometries, which cannot be realized with conventional manufacturing processes. Manufacturers can save high assembly costs and produce more functional products using functional integration.
Lithoz—A university spin-off Lithoz founders, Johannes Homa and Johannes Benedikt
(Figure 1), have been involved with AM since 2006, when they were graduate research associates at the Vienna University of Technology (VUT) in Austria in the working group of Juergen Stampfl.
At that time, no technology was commercially available for AM of ceramics. When Homa and Benedikt recognized the unique potential of AM for this class of materials, they decided to develop the technology themselves. It began with develop-ment of the material, but it soon became apparent that state-of-the-art AM machines were not able to process the newly developed ceramic slurries. Thus, they also began research on new concepts for AM machines and software.
The challenge was to achieve, by AM, the same density and strength achieved via conventional ceramic forming technologies. Other research groups failed at this point. After four years of intense research, the team solved a num-ber of tenacious problems along the process chain. Finally, in 2010, they achieved, for the first time, the same mate-rial properties as with other ceramic molding methods—the proof of concept was realized!
Homa and Benedikt already were thinking of establishing a business while conducting R&D at VUT. Encouraged by their success, they followed their vision to build up a company based on this technology. Spin-off of Lithoz from VUT finally took place in 2011. Homa assumed responsibility for com-mercial aspects of starting up a business, and Benedikt devoted himself to production and R&D. Lithoz benefited from jumpstart funding from various national and international pro-grams and supporting organizations.
The young team was first challenged to transfer the previ-ously established research prototype to a series of products. The founders realized that continuous progress of their tech-nology and production of high-quality products would be key to the company's success.
Therefore, Homa and Benedikt transferred production of their LCM technology machines to the experienced, specialized engineering company Wild GmbH (Völkermarkt, Austria). The company possesses long-term expertise in mechanical engi-neering and specializes in manufacturing products to specific
Capsule summary
The challenge
Additive manufacturing techniques that worked
well for plastics and metal are not suitable for
making dense, high-strength ceramic parts.
a soluTion for ceramics
Two Viennese graduate students parlayed their
doctoral research into a spin-off company
specializing in development of AM specifically
for ceramics.
new visTas
The ability to fabricate dense, high-strength parts
with complex geometries allows engineers to de-
sign parts based on functional requirements rather
than design systems around available parts.
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www.ceramics.org | American Ceramic Society Bulletin, Vol. 95, No.324
scaling up—The high potential of additive manufacturing for the ceramics industry
customer requirements. By working with Wild, Lithoz also eliminated scaling-up issues with regard to possible production bottlenecks for the machine.
Lithoz/Wild delivered the first pro-duction-ready machine a year later, and, from that time on, the company grew. Two years later, the company achieved an important milestone by extending its ownership. Hans J. Langer, CEO and founder of EOS GmbH (Krailling, Germany)—one of the first commer-cially successful AM enterprises—joined the company in 2014 (Figure 2). EOS specializes in laser sintering and micro laser sintering AM. With the announce-ment of Langer’s participation, Homa said, “Through our partnership with Dr.
Langer our work finds special recogni-tion, and our future growth opportuni-ties will increase significantly.”
The Lithoz management team, despite this achievement, realized that it was important to keep its feet on the ground. The team kept its focus on moderate, healthy growth of the company and did not take the usual route for high-tech start-ups via huge amounts of venture capital. Benedikt explains, "Lithoz prefers a rather conservative approach. We try to realistically estimate our sales potential and adapt our strategic product planning and development precisely to the needs of our customers."
Lithoz established from the very beginning an agenda to fulfill high
expectations of the ceramic industry with a clear focus on customer requirements and needs. Thus, Lithoz was inspired to earn ISO 9001:2015 certification in February 2016.
LCM technologyThe company developed a portfolio
that now ranges from machines and mate-rials to software and applications. The LCM technology process precisely fabri-cates strong ceramic objects layer-by-layer (see sidebar below). A high-resolution optical system controls production of very precise and complex geometries with min-imum feature sizes down to 100 µm. The outstanding properties of this process are high-resolution and isotropic microstruc-ture and mechanical properties at the level of conventionally formed ceramics.
LCM technology fabricates parts with standard compositions, such as alumina and zirconia, which are achieving material properties comparable to conventionally formed ceramics. For example, alumina parts show values of >99.4% theoretical density (>3.96 g/cm3) and four-point bending strength of 430 MPa. Zirconia components show theoretical density of 99.6% and strength of 650 MPa.
Figure 2. New Lithoz shareholders from left to right: Johann Oberhofer, Johannes Benedikt, Johannes Homa, and Hans J. Langer.
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Lithography-based ceramic manufacturing
Lithoz offers a process for the additive manufacturing of high-performance ceramics that is called lithography-based ceramic manufacturing (LCM) technology. LCM technology allows production of high-performance ceramic parts with the same material properties as conventionally formed parts.
LCM technology is a slurry-based process, where ceramic powder is homogenously dispersed in a photocurable monomer system and selectively polymerized through mask exposure to produce initially the green part. These green parts are basically composites of ceramic particles within a photopolymer matrix, which acts as a binder for ceramic particles. During thermal posttreatment, processors remove the organic matrix via py-rolysis, and particles densify during sintering to give the dense ceramic body. These two process steps are typically applied in conventional ceramic forming technologies. n
Schematic shows the projection system, slurry in a
transparent vat, building platform, and recoater.
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The building chamber of the CeraFab 7500 during exposure.
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25American Ceramic Society Bulletin, Vol. 95, No. 3 | www.ceramics.org
Manufactured components also have an excellent surface qual-ity. Unfinished surface roughness for alumina is R
a of ~0.4 µm
and for zirconia Ra of ~0.6 µm. Figure 3 shows a few of the
complex geometries achievable with LCM technology.To be able to ensure growth and success of the company,
Lithoz has a strong orientation toward R&D and focusing on development of new materials and production systems.
The company developed its first product, the CeraFab 7500 printer, for the powder injection molding industry. The printer has a building envelope of 76 mm x 43 mm x 150 mm and a res-olution of 40 µm. The system is designed to manufacture small, precise components. Lithoz currently is developing machines with larger building envelopes. For example, the CeraFab 8500 prints in a 115 mm x 64 mm x 150 mm envelope.
Besides designing next-generation LCM machines, Lithoz researchers have expanded the portfolio of ceramic composi-tions. Lithoz has developed silicon nitride-, cordierite-, tri-calcium phosphate-, magnesia-, and silica-based powders for casting cores. These are in addition to existing alumina and zir-conia materials. Because Lithoz broadened the available range of materials, lithographic AM of high-performance ceramics should see growing demand for widespread applications. High precision and accuracy of the LCM technology process offers interesting and unique opportunities in fields such as biomedi-cal applications, catalysis, or refractories.
Lithoz scales upTo date, the company has installed more than 20 systems
for customers at leading international research institu-tions, including the Fraunhofer Institute IKTS in Dresden (Germany) and Fraunhofer HTL in Bayreuth (Germany). In addition, several successful companies, including Robert Bosch GmbH (Germany) and Lapp GmbH (Germany), have invested in LCM technology.
Ceramco Inc., a new customer in the U.S., will install a CeraFab 7500 this summer. Thomas Hendriksen, CEO of Ceramco Inc. (Center Conway, N.H.), states, “Ceramic compo-nents made by AM methods have always had problems due to the layered structure and related anisotropy. Thus, the materi-als lacked the high density typical for fine ceramics—until the Lithoz machine came along. The high resolution of the Lithoz CeraFab 7500 demonstrates surface quality that is competitive with traditional forming methods, and it achieves full density in high-purity alumina and Y-TZP-type zirconia by industry standards, both of which are the main materials Ceramco makes parts from. So this machine will complement our abil-ity to manufacture ceramic parts with complex geometry, and enable us to provide new parts to customers in short order with a quality we can stand behind; it’s not just a 3-D render-ing of a part that has no utility anymore.”
Ceramco is Lithoz’s second American customer. Lithoz sold a unit in April 2015 to an undisclosed buyer.
Sales drive growth, and growth demands space. After moving into a new building in 2014—and expanding it in summer 2015—the company is again on the verge of expanding its business premises. Lithoz requires more space
to meet increasing demand for customized materials and orders for LCM technology.
“This is a challenge which will be solved quickly and easily”, says Homa. He is convinced that this will not be the last time that the company will need more space.
According to Homa, growth affects many departments in a small company. For example, from his point of view, it is more difficult to adapt necessary communication structures to the company’s rapid growth because of the increasing facility size and
Figure 3. Alumina parts made by LCM technology. Applications include sensor mountings, impellers, and gears.
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www.ceramics.org | American Ceramic Society Bulletin, Vol. 95, No.326
scaling up—The high potential of additive manufacturing for the ceramics industry
number of employees. The company plans to introduce a CRM system to improve its service management. Therefore, the company will provide its growing customer base the best quality of services.
Homa is convinced the company will continue to grow. “Today, we are only at the beginning for the introduction of additive manufacturing systems in the ceramic sector,” says Homa. Homa believes there is a growing need for AM because of new conditions and chal-lenges imposed on the ceramic industry. Shorter product life cycles, need for mass customization of products, and need for resource-efficient manufactur-ing technologies for production of small scale series and individual pieces will continue to drive demand for AM.
High-tech solutions for high-tech markets
The possible applications of LCM tech-nology already are diversified, and Lithoz provides the necessary components for industry and research institutes.
For example, Lithoz is developing its own material for AM of casting cores for the aviation sector. Benedikt explains, “Turbine blades are regularly used in temperature ranges that are above their melting point. One of the reasons this is possible is the presence of complex cooling channels inside the blade, which are made using casting cores. Up to date, these casting cores are produced by injection molding. But it is already clear that this approach will no longer be suf-ficient due to limited complexity of parts produced by this technique. Using LCM can help overcome these limitations and
enables the production of geometries that cannot be manufactured with con-ventional technologies.”
Because of its tool-free manufacturing technology, the LCM approach enables fabrication of highly complex structures and more casting cores at the same time (Figure 4).
Other industries, such as the medical sector, benefit from this new produc-tion technology. Biocompatible materi-als, such as alumina and zirconia, are suitable because of their good mechani-cal properties and their bioinert behav-ior, especially for permanent implants.
Researchers can develop completely new solutions for medical problems using LCM technology. For example, Lithoz helped develop LCM to fabricate bioresorbable ceramics as temporary implants. The body resorbs such materials and, thus, they do not require removal after the patient heals. The CeraFab system prints individual bone substitutes of tricalcium phosphate or hydroxyapatite. Figure 5 shows several bioresorbable scaffold designs.
Undiscovered potential of AMThe above-mentioned applications
are not exhaustive in the least. “AM will be the driving force for innovation, and the ceramics industry can benefit in dif-ferent ways by applying AM,” say Homa and Benedikt. Both are convinced that the real benefits of AM have yet to be fully appreciated in the minds of indus-try decision-makers.
Homa and Benedikt say, that wheth-er AM is used to produce prototypes, individualized parts, parts with higher functionality, or function-integrated parts, design always will begin with development goals. Decision makers need to have a broad view and under-stand that investing in new technol-ogy requires more than purchasing an equivalent or replacement system. The advantages of cutting-edge technology are achieved only by adopting new design rules and redesigning existing geometries. Companies considering AM must start with in-depth discussions of these technologies to understand how best to exploit the full potential of AM in their businesses.
Homa and Benedikt are aware of the
scale of the task and are able to support companies to find their way through the advantages of adopting AM. Homa describes the clear goal for Lithoz as fol-lows: “Our vision is to establish AM as a standard manufacturing technology. There should be no difference between manufacturing using conventional meth-ods and AM—and we are on the way to implement this vision.”
About the authorMonika Homa is corporate communi-
cations officer at Lithoz GmbH. Contact Homa at [email protected].
References1T. Wohlers, Wohlers Report 2014. Wohlers Associates, Fort Collins, Colo., 2014. n
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Figure 5. Various bioresorbable tricalcium phosphate scaffolds manufactured with the CeraFab system.
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Figure 4. Casting cores made by the LCM process. The image shows 22 cores made on the CeraFab 8500 in 11 hours. Each core is approximately 40 x 100 mm.
A small business grows globallyMore than 98% of Lithoz business is international, and the company has built a well-functioning distribution network in China. Lithoz is working to strengthen its international presence overall and is investing resources to build up a distribution network for the United States market.
Homa explains, "In order to develop this high-potential market, we need partners with whom we act on a mutually beneficial basis. Both partners should benefit to the same extent from the opportunity that establishing our technology in the market will provide."
To ensure expansion of the company, Homa seeks ceramics specialists who are dedicated to sales to support their team abroad. By the end of the year, the company plans to employ more than 30 people along the entire process chain in Austria. n
27American Ceramic Society Bulletin, Vol. 95, No. 3 | www.ceramics.org
From walk-in to drop-in—
A new twist on outsourced R&D
By Walter Sherwood
An experimental concept can allow companies without
in-house research programs to outsource R&D while
minimizing overhead and risks.
Some large conglomerates, such as General Electric and United
Technologies, have captive research labs. However, such facilities tend to return little on their investments. Because of the high cost of maintaining such research facilities, even some larger companies, such as Dow Corning, have cut in-house research budgets.
Without in-house research programs, these companies must outsource exploratory or incremental improvement research, which can be prohibitively expensive.
As an alternative, WJS Concepts LLC has developed an experimental concept during the past year—"researchers-for-hire" that perform research and proof-of-concept development, without massive overhead. Unlike traditional engineering con-sultants, the contracted researcher actually performs the work and writes reports. When research is successful, the contractor then assists scale-up or implementation on the production line and trains in-house staff.
Because the work is defined in phases, the contract rigor-ously defines the scope of work and cost for each phase. This definition allows the client to review results after each phase and decide whether to terminate the project or proceed. The result is that the client saves money and dramatically lowers the risk of testing new ideas, because
• The company gets an experienced resource wholly dedi-cated to the project for a defined time and cost;
• The company minimizes benefit costs (training, taxes, vacation, etc.), because it does not hire the contractor;
• The company uses its own laboratories or analytical facilities;
• There is little or no risk of losing control of intellectual property;
• There is greater communication with management and research staff, because the contractor is on-site, program goals can be modified easily, and issues can be resolved in minutes instead of days; and
• After the research is complete, the company’s facility can revert to normal.
The process: Getting startedHow does this researcher-for-hire concept work? Although
the initial engagement process with a client constantly evolves, a typical procedure is as follows.
Once initial contact with an interested client is made, the contracting researcher gets an idea of the general scope of work and the company’s available research facilities and resources. The researcher also attempts to determine timing
www.ceramics.org | American Ceramic Society Bulletin, Vol. 95, No. 3 28
From walk-in to drop-in—A new twist on outsourced R&D
and what the prospective client expects to spend. Once these factors are known, the researcher gathers more specific details, including material requirements and the process envelope. This typically requires a nondisclosure agreement, which can take many weeks to negoti-ate details, such as wording, intellectual property rights, and rights to products developed during the course of the project. However, this time is useful for background research and mulling over how to approach the project.
Once the nondisclosure agreement is signed, the researcher delves into specific requirements of the potential project. In most cases, a site visit is pre-ferred to meet the staff and the manager who will oversee the project as well as to get a feel for what equipment and analytical resources are readily avail-able (as opposed to tied up supporting production or other projects). It also can be helpful to meet with the plant manager and environmental health and safety manager. If the expected work plan includes chemical work, discussions about proper handling and storage of the materials as well as disposal consider-ations are needed as well.
The researcher then puts together a proposed route, normally a multiphased approach, to solve the client's processing problem, develop an improved product, or create an entirely new material sys-tem. This includes a somewhat detailed outline—sometimes decribing daily or weekly activities—of what will be done in each phase and how many on-site and off-site hours are anticipated. The researcher also provides a list of equip-ment and required starting materials that are anticipated for the first phase of the project. The client then reviews these requirements and determines what the company has available and what it
must buy. Lastly, the researcher provides a cost proposal to the prospective client for the above items for the first phase.
After some discussion, the researcher and client typically agree on a modified work scope and cost. Once they negoti-ate and sign an appropriate contract, preparatory work begins. At this point, the contracted researcher:
• Finds sources of raw materials and equipment and assists in getting quotes;
• With prior payment from the cli-ent, arranges purchase and drop ship-ment of the agreed materials and equip-ment to the client's site; and
• If needed, works with the environ-mental health and safety manager and provides an "Experimental procedure and safe operating plan" to make the cli-ent aware of planned chemical work.
Once the timing for delivery of needed materials and equipment is established, the client arranges for the contractor to begin on-site work (badges, clearances, etc).
Project case studiesA synopsis of two outsourced research
programs performed by the author fol-lows to demonstrate how the researcher-for-hire concept works. One developed a new low-cost ceramic-matrix precursor for prepregging fabric, and the other developed a high-temperature-capable resin. Each project had its own design specifications and performance require-ments, highlighting the versatility of this researcher-for-hire approach.
Case study 1: Preceramic polymer development
The client wanted to develop a low-cost ceramic-forming resin that could be prepregged onto carbon-fiber and ceramic-fiber fabric for either compres-sion-molded or vacuum-molded com-ponents. The operating temperature
requirements were relatively modest: 1,000°C–1,200°C in air.
In this case, because of timing con-straints, the contractor initially worked only with sets of operating envelopes for the equipment, a few photos of the research lab, and the client’s wish list for resin performance. The initial require-ments included:
• Resin must wet-out the fibers quickly, but be viscous enough to stay on the fabric;
• Polymer must cure quickly during compression molding at 160°C–200°C to make a green part strong enough to be handled;
• Coated fabric must be tacky enough to not slide during molding, but not so sticky that it cannot be handled (does not stick to nitrile gloves);
• Prepreg shelf life should be greater than six months when refrigerated;
• Pyrolysis yield after 2 h at 1,000°C–1,200°C in inert gas should be as high as possible to minimize needed reinfiltrations;
• Ceramic material must be stable at operating temperatures around 1,000°C–1,200°C for more than 1,000 h; and
• Polymer cost target is <$32/kg (~$15/lb).
The client's research laboratory had all the utilities, furnaces, and test equip-ment required. The client had to pur-chase about $3,000 worth of glassware and mixing equipment.
The agreed-upon Phase 1 scope of work involved a set of three trials:
Trial 1: Three polymers based on exist-ing formulations of low-cost (~$22/kg or $10/lb) preceramic polymers typically used for reinfiltration.
Trial 2: Two polymers based on melt-processable resins similar to those used as powder coating modifiers.
Capsule summary
R&D chAllenges
R&D costs present a challenge to companies—
in-house research programs often return little on
their investments, yet outsourcing research can
be prohibitively expensive.
An AlteRnAtive solution
An alternative concept is that of “researcher-for-
hire,” in which companies contract an outside
researcher to develop, conduct, and report on a
well-defined exploratory or incremental research
project.
Does it woRk?
WJS Concepts LLC recently has developed this
contracted researcher approach and reports on
two case studies that show how this approach
can benefit contracted researchers and clients.
29American Ceramic Society Bulletin, Vol. 95, No. 3 | www.ceramics.org
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Trial 3: Two or three resins based on the results determined in Trials 1 and 2.
Each trial required about one work-week of in-house time and about three days of off-site analysis and planning. In-house qualification testing—some done by the contractor, some done by the client's technicians—included:
• Polymer viscosity at 65°C;• Polymer cure time at 180°C;• Room-temperature hardness of
polymer on fabric (although subjective, the material could not be brittle);
• Room-temperature tackiness of polymer on fabric (although subjective, the material could not stick strongly to nitrile gloves);
• Ceramic yield from neat prepreg polymer, with a target of >70% from the original tacky resin;
• Cracking after pyrolysis (some cracking was expected, but the client did not want "just powder clinging to the fiber tows"); and
• Long-term weight loss at 1,100°C.
Phase 1 resultsTable 1 provides test data and obser-
vations for each formulation in the three trials.
The contractor fabricated Trial 1 sam-ples during the first week on-site, includ-ing about six hours during the first day for equipment set-up and checks. Trial 1 polymers were all low- to medium- viscosity liquids.
Sample A had low molecular weight with too many reactive functional groups, resulting in a too-highly cross-linked cured polymer (very brittle) but a high ceramic yield.
Sample B had a higher molecular weight because of bulky nonreactive side groups added to reduce reactivity of the polymer. However, the cured material was too brittle and pyrolyzed to larger chunks because of less shrinkage and cracking.
Sample C was softer because of insuf-ficient cross-linking during curing. It had too low a molecular weight, which result-ed in significant volatiles during pyroly-sis and low yield of porous ceramic.
The contractor fabricated Trial 2 formulations on-site in the sixth week of the program. The work resulted in polymers that were solid at room tem-perature but melted below 95°C. These polymers were designed with higher molecular weights and longer chains than Trial 1 polymers.
Sample D had few available reactive groups, resulting in low cross-link density and a softer, low-yield ceramic material than Sample C, despite the higher molec-ular weight. This sample showed evidence of remelting as the cured chunks molded together during pyrolysis.
Sample E had slightly higher molecu-lar weight with twice the reactive side groups of Sample D. This formula-tion resulted in coated fabric that was slightly brittle—the fabric would craze if bent over the edge of a table. However, the material performed well in most other tests.
The contractor fabricated Trial 3 poly-mers on-site during the 11th week of the program in an attempt to meld the best of the first two trials and further opti-mize the material.
Sample F was formulated as a slightly higher molecular weight (i.e., longer
average chain length) version of Sample E, with about 5% less reactive functional groups. Yield was low relative to Sample E, but acceptable.
Sample G was formulated with the same proportion of reactive side groups as Sample E, but with bulky side groups instead of longer polymer chains. This polymer was too soft after curing, likely because of the side groups, and had a lower yield because of loss of side groups during pyrolysis.
The client's R&D manager decided that formulations of Samples E and F produced materials with adequate properties to continue to Phase II. The manager also decided that projected costs would be tolerable, even if ~$2/lb higher than the target in small volumes. The client expected to meet the cost tar-get at a volume of 1 metric ton/month.
Final results and follow-upIn three months—for less than one-
half the price of a Phase I Small Business Innovation Research grant—the client
Figure 1. Sample E-coated carbon fiber plate (6 in. x 6 in. x 0.25 in.) after press-ing at 180°C.
Table 1. Qualification test results for Trials 1–3 Sample 65°C viscosity (cP) 180°C cure Hardness of fabric at Ceramic yield (%) Pyrolysis cracking Mass loss at 1,100°C Comments time (min) room temperature for 500 h (%)
Trial 1
A < 20 0.05 Brittle 88 Massive 0.2 Chunky powder B 94 0.53 Less brittle 80 Less cracking 1.1 Large chunks C 190 12.5 Softer, but brittle 60 Pores, friable 4.5 Weak porous chunks
Trial 2
D 221 30 Somewhat soft 62 Solid piece, large pores 1.2 Remelted during pyrolysis E 320 20 Hard, slightly brittle 81 Solid piece, few pores 0.8 No evidence of remelting
Trial 3
F 265 22 Stiff, but flexible 79 Some cracks, few pores 0.6 Shiny black after pyrolysis G 558 40 Soft, sticky 70 Some cracks, few pores 2.4 Dull black after pyrolysis
www.ceramics.org | American Ceramic Society Bulletin, Vol. 95, No. 3 30
From walk-in to drop-in—A new twist on outsourced R&D
had a promising new material (Figures 1, 2). The client recently requested a proposal for a Phase II program to scale-up polymer synthesis at a "toll producer" and for trial runs in the client's small developmental process line.
In addition, an event occurred that demonstrated the advantage of the researcher being on-site.
During Trial 3 of the program, the cli-ent's sales manager asked the contractor if any of the developed polymer materi-als could be used to make insulating, fireproof composite panels or bulkheads that would survive up to four hours in a fire and be functional and structural in the "as-cured" state. The contractor confirmed that the materials could per-form as requested, noting that ceramic composites will not burn and are as light as glass-fiber or epoxy composites. The developed material would simply convert to ceramic when exposed to fire, but it would emit less smoke and toxins than typical composites. As a result of this conversation, the client used the same initial research to develop prototypes of two products instead of one.
Case study 2: Development of low-cost, 250°C (480°F) resin
A client wanted a polymer resin that could function for long times at ~50°C above current vinyl ester resins, but with comparable processing parameters and cost (a bit of a stretch!). However, this project is most notable for what it took to begin working at the client's labora-tory rather than successful development of the target product.
Because of timing constraints, the cli-ent wanted to start quickly. Therefore, the contracting researcher did not make a preliminary site visit. After about six weeks of discussion on the scope of work and intellectual property issues, both parties approved the contract.
While the contractor was traveling to the client’s site, the company’s labora-tory manager found a journal article stat-ing that a component of the proposed resin system was used as a mold release for vinyl ester composites. The manager was concerned that it would affect how the vinyl ester bonded to the fiberglass fabric. Because the company recently had obtained a large order, the manager further worried that testing a new resin in the R&D equipment—which was located next to the production equip-ment—would be a problem. This caused much consternation to the client. As a result, the contractor walked into the company to begin the work, and, instead, the company leadership imme-diately engaged the contractor in a lively, three-hour discussion.
The final consensus of this discussion was that no work could be done until two plans were written and approved: a plan to make sure there was no cross-contamination; and an experimental operating plan detailing how the materi-als would be handled, stored, and dis-posed. The contractor thus had to write the two procedures and obtain approval from the CEO and environmental and health safety manager. As a result, the contractor spent the first two days on-site learning the site’s safety procedures and writing these additional plans. While waiting for approval signoffs, the contractor spent the third day on-site assembling the equipment and laying out the exact formulas to be tested in Trial 1.
The client assumed that the contrac-tor would be able to make the resin, optimize its properties, and make test panels in the two days remaining on-site. Besides not being feasible in regards to time, the client further expected the work could be done in a small (18 ft 3 8 ft) room with one 6-ft fumehood and 6 ft of available bench space, with doors locked and no ventilation besides
the hood. In addition, the client no longer wanted the contractor to use any of the test ovens, because they were located next to production equipment. Therefore, the client suddenly had to rush order a 300°C convection oven, which would not arrive for a few days.
The contractor synthesized two res-ins out of the lowest-cost raw materials available in an attempt to meet the very-low-cost target (Figure 3). One resin met cure time requirements. Therefore, the contractor convinced the client that it was more time and cost effective to sim-ply evaluate long-term thermal stability of each resin at 250°C before attempting to make a test panel. Both resins failed compared to the client’s baseline vinyl ester—which is why more than one trial is always in the approved plan.
The next two visits for Trials 2 and 3 went much more smoothly, because the contractor gained the confidence of man-agement in regards to handling the test materials while protecting the company’s production runs. Ultimately the contrac-tor successfully produced two polymers that met the client’s initial requirements, and the production group had no cross-contamination issues. The client is plan-ning to continue to Phase 2.
The concept of research-for-hire seems to work
The developing concept of outsourc-ing the researcher while using in-house facilities has been successful in the first few projects. The following are some of the lessons learned during on-site
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Figure 2. Sample F-coated carbon fabric plate (6 in. x 6 in. x 0.25 in.) after vacu-um bagging at 160°C.
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Figure 3. Polymer samples cured at 210°C (clockwise from top left): baseline vinyl ester, best new resin, and second-best new resin.
31American Ceramic Society Bulletin, Vol. 95, No. 3 | www.ceramics.org
research and development projects.• It is an important mindset for
contractors to remember that they are guests in the client's facility—behave like a guest, be courteous, and always ask if unsure of how things are done.
• The company contact probably will not tell contractors everything they need to know, but contractors will fill in the gaps quickly when they arrive on-site.
• Clients may not fully grasp what it will take to accomplish what they per-ceive they need—which is likely to differ from what is in the approved project.
• The contractor should not assume that all involved groups at the client’s site are fully informed about the project, and, thus, impromptu and planned meetings are important to keep everyone informed.
• The contractor should not attempt to hinder ongoing tests, projects, or research being done in the rest of the facility.
• When solving a process or produc-tion problem, the contractor should seek two people: the resident genius in the
cluttered office, and the underappreci-ated production worker whom everyone goes to with issues. The contractor should ask them questions and listen to their answers—these individuals likely know the problem and might even sug-gest solutions.
• Finally, contractors should not under-bid a project, but instead should carefully map out the detailed scope of work and estimate the required time—then double the time to make up for the unexpected. The client will hold the contractor to the plan and price, so the contractor should be sure to give a fair but realistic estimate.
The research-for-hire concept offers notable benefits for companies without in-house research programs. Perhaps the most obvious benefit to the client is the knowledge and full attention of an expert to see through a well-defined proj-ect. At the same time, however, the com-pany also minimizes its costs and risks.
The primary beneficiaries of the
research-for-hire concept are likely to be companies that want to test new ideas or material concepts—maybe even "blue sky" ideas—at a relatively low cost and quick timeline, with minimal impact on in-house resources.
About the authorWalter Sherwood, president of WJS
Concepts LLC, founded Starfire Systems Inc. and worked on the team that devel-oped the first commercially viable high-purity silicon carbide-forming polymer. Sherwood has more than two decades of experience developing and scaling-up production of more than a dozen com-mercially available high-temperature and preceramic polymers. He is an author of more than 12 papers and 14 patents related to high-temperature materials, preceramic polymers, and ceramic com-posites. Contact Sherwood at [email protected]. n
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www.ceramics.org | American Ceramic Society Bulletin, Vol. 95, No. 332
by April Gocha
Corporate and academic researchers coalesce at the
Raytheon–University of Massachusetts Lowell Research
Institute to develop scalable approaches to additive
manufacture of electronics.
An aerosol ink jet printer prints a frequency selective surface (FSS) onto polyimide film. The device acts like an electromagnetic filter whose properties can be tuned actively using ferroelectric ink.
Corporate–academic partnership pools resources to advance additive manufacturing of electronics
In 2014, Raytheon Company (Waltham, Mass.) and the University of
Massachusetts Lowell (Lowell, Mass.) established a joint research facility focused on advancing innovative technologies with commercial poten-tial. Research at the Raytheon–University of Massachusetts Lowell Research Institute (RURI) initially focuses on future technologies for radar and communication systems, although there is room for future expansion into additional areas.
As a corporate–academic entity, RURI merges UMass Lowell’s strengths in printed electronics and nanotechnology with Raytheon’s strategic technology needs, which include high-fre-quency printed conformal antennas, carbon-based transistors, and photonic devices.
RURI is located in the Mark and Elisia Saab Emerging Technologies and Innovation Center at UMass Lowell, an $80 million, 84,000-ft2 research facility that houses cutting-edge science and engineering research. Christopher McCarroll of Raytheon and Craig Armiento, electrical and computer engineering professor at UMass Lowell, codirect the institute.
What follows is a Q&A dialogue with Armiento about this unique partnership and how it approaches manufacturing scale-up issues in a collaborative setting.
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How does RURI identify and assess potential research projects?
RURI is a corporate–academic research partnership directed at devel-oping additive approaches to manufac-turing electronics. The result of this technology will be to use computer-aided design-driven processes for fast prototyp-ing of electronic systems as well as the ability to manufacture electronics in a different form factor than today’s rigid circuit boards. Printed electronic systems can be flexible, conformal, wearable, and embedded in 3-D objects.
Through RURI, Raytheon and UMass Lowell researchers work collab-oratively to define projects that leverage advanced additive manufacturing of electronics for use in Raytheon systems. RURI’s technology focus is on applica-tions operating at radio frequency (rf) or microwave frequencies. Applications include next-generation radar systems that are flexible, lightweight, and low cost. One example is printed antennas that are integrated into mechanical objects, such as cell phones or cars (e.g., collision-avoidance radars), or advanced rf identification (rfID) systems (e.g., asset monitoring). Such systems require integration of printed antennas, passive components, and semiconductor inte-grated circuits.
Both organizations are actively involved in developing the ecosystem for printed electronics, including new materials, printing equipment, microwave measurement, and advanced additive manufacturing design approaches. An addi-tional UMass Lowell organization called the Printed Electronics Research Collaborative (PERC) coordinates efforts to develop this printed electronics eco-system. PERC members include UMass Lowell, Raytheon, and seven other companies.
Part of the value of PERC is to create teaming arrange-ments to pursue federal funding. These arrangements can provide smaller mate-rial or component manufacturers the ability to partner with larger companies, such as Raytheon, that have system expertise. In a sense, PERC serves to develop companies that represent the printed electronics supply chain for big-ger system integrators like Raytheon.
More details about PERC can be found at uml.edu/perc.
What does RURI foster that neither UMass Lowell nor Raytheon can accomplish on its own?
The value of RURI to Raytheon is threefold. First and foremost, Raytheon can extend its R&D capabilities into the new area of printed electronics without significant up-front investment in staff and laboratory infrastructure. In this regard, Raytheon can leverage technical expertise and laboratory facilities at the university through RURI.
The partnership between Raytheon and UMass Lowell is more intercon-nected than most university–corporate relationships. Our model is based on colocation of Raytheon researchers with faculty and students—for example, Raytheon researchers have offices in the RURI facility. Because there are many Raytheon facilities within a half-hour drive from the university, Raytheon researchers and engineers can conve-niently work on projects at the RURI facility. These close interactions are essential to the RURI mission.
The second value of RURI for Raytheon is the ability to influence development of UMass Lowell students, creating a talent pipeline for future hires. The close interaction of Raytheon personnel with students already has resulted in internships and permanent job offers. The third value of this part-nership is the opportunity to develop
The Mark and Elisia Saab Emerging Technologies and Innovation Center at the University of Massachusetts Lowell.
The Printed Electronics Research Collaborative at UMass Lowell brings together university researchers with compa-nies and government agencies to grow the emerging field. Here, Craig Armiento (left) works with graduate student Kyle Homan.
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Corporate–academic partnership pools resources . . .
educational programs for Raytheon employees as well as for Raytheon cus-tomers. Raytheon provides many oppor-tunities for advanced education for its employees, and the partnership makes it possible to craft educational programs specific to company needs.
The obvious advantage to UMass Lowell is that Raytheon’s investment has provided funding to the university to build an entire floor of our new research building that is dedicated to printed electronics research. In addition, RURI’s focus on Raytheon’s technology needs has created directed research that is more applied than many university pro-grams. For our students, RURI provides an environment that is very connected with significant commercial applica-tions. In addition, our students gain an advantage on employment opportunities within Raytheon.
What are some of the main barriers to scaling up technologies beyond the lab and into the commercial setting?
The field of printed electronics is in early stages of development and commer-cialization. Materials and manufacturing equipment are in a nascent phase com-
pared with current electronics technology using subtractive processes on rigid substrates. In fact, I would say that the print-ed electronics technology is at a stage of maturity similar to the early days of silicon integrated chip manufacturing.
On the materials side, func-tional inks (e.g., conductive, dielectric, and semiconductor inks) need to be developed to build the level of electronic functionality required for most applications. These inks are more complicated—requiring components such as nanopar-ticles, surfactants, and disper-sants—than clean-room materials that have been developed to manufacture integrated circuits and printed circuit boards. Therefore, the properties of these functional inks need to be
optimized to establish material standards. The same holds true for manufactur-
ing equipment. For instance, there is no single printer that can handle all materi-al constraints—such as ink viscosities and particle sizes—and dimensional require-ments of many electronic subsystems. Further, these printers are not designed for large-scale, high-rate manufacturing. It will be some time before we see print-ed electronics technology emerge in cost and production scales that are equivalent to current electronics technology.
However, RURI has unique strengths to help advance this developing area of technology. At RURI, we have total capabilities—we have assembled state-of-the-art tools in every aspect of building prototype subsystems, from advanced modeling tools to materials development, to printing technology and advanced measurement and characteriza-tion. The facility provides centralized resources to design, fabricate, and test developments in a matter of days. In addition, RURI is unique because of the local expertise of UMass Lowell’s plastics engineering department, one of the few in the country, which allows us to tailor properties of flexible plastic substrates and filaments for 3-D printing.
What unique challenges do a university–industry partnership introduce?
There are many challenges involved with putting a commercial entity on a university campus. As with most univer-sity–industry collaborations, there are the usual issues involving intellectual property, which we have successfully worked out.
However, the RURI partnership introduces additional challenges because of the Department of Defense nature of our research. The RURI facility has to be able to conduct International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR)-related research, which creates infrastructure and personnel challenges. For instance, the facility entrance and all RURI labs require card access—only students and faculty with approval can access the labs.
We have the additional requirement that our students and faculty must be United States citizens or green-card hold-ers. Given the international makeup of most graduate programs, this can signifi-cantly constrain the population of available students. As a result, we actively work with undergraduate students to encourage them to continue their graduate educations.
More than 13 undergraduates worked on senior projects in the facility over our first year. These projects included valuable work to the RURI mission, including design and construction of an anechoic chamber for antenna charac-terization, development of a robotic arm for printing conducting traces on 3-D objects, and an rfID inventory system. We have been successful in recruiting new graduate students from our under-graduate population through support of these senior projects.
What success or failures has RURI logged so far?
We have successfully established strong connectivity with Raytheon engi-neers and scientists through day-to-day interactions. In just one year, we have built an entire floor (~8,000 ft2) infra-structure that includes five labs focused on advanced design and simulation (mechanical, electromagnetic, and ther-mal), materials development, printing
UMass Lowell electrical engineering graduate students Kyle Homan (left) and Elicia Harper work in one of the labs at the Elisia Saab Emerging Technologies and Innovation Center. The $80 million facility is home to the Printed Electronics Research Collaborative.
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35American Ceramic Society Bulletin, Vol. 95, No. 3 | www.ceramics.org
and processing, rf characterization (wired and wireless) of materials and devices, and additive manufacturing of micro-electronic packaging.
One specific example of a successful project is development of a ceramic-based ferroelectric ink. Many rf and microwave applications critically need to actively tune the frequency response of a system. One way to make a tunable device, such as a varactor (a tunable capacitor), is to use a material whose dielectric properties can be tuned by an applied electric field. Such ferroelectric materials often come in a ceramic form—a primary example is Ba
xSr
1–xTiO
3 (BST).
Some microwave systems already have developed the high-temperature process-ing required to enable use of thick and thin films of BST. However, despite increasing demand for printed tunable rf systems that are flexible, conformal, or wearable, no practical solution had real-ized an all-printed, high-frequency varac-tor that could be printed on flexible plastic substrates (e.g., polyimide films or polyethylene naphthalate) without typi-cal high-temperature processes.
Therefore, we wanted a ferroelectric ink that would enable low-temperature printing and processing on plastic sub-strates using direct ink-writing method-ologies. Because no such ferroelectric ink commercially existed, we developed our own formulation. We made a mul-tiphase composite by suspending BST nanoparticles in thermoplastic cyclic olefin copolymer and dissolved that composite in a solvent with dispersant to achieve the ferroelectric ink. This work was done in partnership with U Mass Lowell professor Alkim Akyurtlu, whose expertise is in electro-magnetic modeling and design. She is using this ink technology to build tun-able frequency selective surfaces and printed phased array antennas.
The composite ink benefits from processing flexibility of the polymer—a <200°C curing step suffices to solidify the material, thus bypassing sintering steps traditionally required for ferroelec-tric materials. To enable tunability in the composite, we optimized three intercor-related parameters: BST Ba/Sr ratio; BST
nanoparticle size; and BST loading fraction. In particular, we selected Ba/Sr ratio of BST nanoparticles from a narrow window dependent on particle size of inclusions. Initial studies have demon-strated a tunability of 10% at 1 GHz.
RURI has applied for a patent on this material. RURI researchers now are developing printed varactors and phase shifters from this material for systems such as phased array antennas and tun-able frequency selective surfaces.
About the expert Craig Armiento is codirector of
RURI, director of the Printed Electronics Research Collaborative (PERC), director of the Center for Photonics, Electromagnetics, and Nanoelectronics (CPEN), and professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Massachusetts Lowell. Contact Armiento at [email protected]. n
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www.ceramics.org | American Ceramic Society Bulletin, Vol. 95, No. 336
IntroductionComputation and modeling are increasingly augmenting—
and sometimes even replacing—experimentation for understand-ing and predicting properties and behavior of materials. A one-day workshop held in conjunction with the 2015 annual meet-ing of the Interagency Coordinating Committee for Ceramic Research and Development (ICCCRD) focused on the topic of computation and modeling as applied to ceramic materials.
ICCCRD comprises representatives from government agen-cies that have programs with an interest in, or focused on, ceramics.1 Individuals attending the workshop represented the National Science Foundation (NSF), Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), Department of Energy (DOE), Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering (ASDR&E), National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Office of Naval Research (ONR), Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), Naval Research Laboratory (NRL), and Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC). Speakers from academia, industry, and government national laboratories also participated. Workshop topics vary from year-to-year; summaries of some of the previous work-shops were published on the topics of materials databases,2 scarce materials,3 and ceramic education.4
Ceramics, defined herein as any inorganic nonmetal (i.e., oxides, nitrides, carbides, and borides as well as glass-es, single crystals, and carbon), are unique with respect to computation and modeling in terms of the sensitivity of their properties to starting materials—e.g., chemical com-position, particle size, impurities, and processing condi-tions—under which they are made.
Important characteristics, such as fracture behavior as well as electrical and optical properties, vary with small changes in composition and microstructure. Consequently, the same compound, e.g., silicon carbide (SiC) or aluminum oxide (Al
2O
3), manufactured by
two organizations almost certainly will have different properties. In addition, knowledge of time and tempera-ture dependences of such properties mostly is lacking. Modeling and simulation of these materials need to account for low-ductility failure modes, variability in fabri-cation processing and manufacturing, and effects of inter-faces, e.g., grain boundaries.
The 2015 workshop included a broad array of com-putation and modeling topics, including ceramic-matrix composites, thermal protection systems, first-principles calculations of material properties, and methodology for predicting mechanical reliability of materials. The diversity of these topics makes it difficult to give more than a brief flavor of the salient points. This article touches on issues mentioned in presentations and in recent publications and attempts to summarize key needs for future progress in computation and modeling.
Workshop summaryLewis Sloter (ASDR&E) opened the workshop with a
historical perspective conveyed in reports on the use of com-putation tools for more rapid insertion of new materials into manufactured products (Figure 1). He pointed out various activities that led up to the Materials Genome Initiative (MGI), in which computation and modeling play a major role.
Ceramic-matrix compositesBecause of broad interest in fiber-reinforced ceramic
composites as materials for a myriad of high-performance applications—e.g., thermal protection coatings, rocket nozzles, and gas turbine engines—researchers have focused significant attention on modeling properties and behavior of these com-plex materials.
Jesse Margiotta (speaking on behalf of DARPA) discussed ways of incorporating computation and modeling of C/C and C/SiC composites for hypersonic vehicle structure applications. DARPA’s Materials Development for Platforms (MDP) program focuses on such an application. Margiotta noted that extreme environments challenge materials and design, and current performance is limited by availability of fully characterized, robust materials.
MDP’s goal is to better align material and platform (application) development cycles to expand design options for both, using toolsets to guide materials development and predict fabrication needs in an accelerated time scale. Use of
Computation and modeling applied to ceramic materialsBy Steve W. Freiman, Lynnette D. Madsen, and William Hong
American Ceramic Society Bulletin, Vol. 95, No. 3 | www.ceramics.org 37
“design intent” principles considers the functional role of materials systems at the conceptual design stage, including how they carry thermal and aerodynam-ic loads in a hypersonic application.
Craig Przybyla (AFRL) discussed development and use of automated techniques to quantify microstructure–property relationships in continuous-fiber-reinforced composites. In particu-lar, understanding response variability in composites requires quantifying the underlying variability of microstructure. Codes are required that can import, interpret, and represent stochastic micro-structure data.
However, imaging, segmentation, and material structure quantification traditionally are labor- and time-inten-sive processes, particularly with 3-D tomography or serial-sectioned materi-als microstructure data. Software tools were demonstrated that automate image registration, segmentation, and feature extraction for large, high-resolution 3-D material datasets obtained via robotic serial sectioning and optical microscopy for SiC–SiC composites.
Moreover, researchers used these tools to implement DREAM.3D software that consolidates custom data analysis tools for construction of customized data analysis workflows. The DREAM.3D package is freely available to the research community (dream3d.bluequartz.net). Researchers can use this software to statistically quantify and visualize in a virtual environment 3-D microstructure data. Researchers then can use these data to generate microstructure models for simulation or to link back to experi-mental response characterization to quantify stochastic microstructure–prop-erty relationships.
The automated tools and approaches described herein support the broader goals of MGI that seek to optimize mate-rials development through application of Integrated Computational Materials Engineering (ICME). ICME is “the integration of materials information, represented in computational tools, with engineering product performance analysis and manufacturing process simulation.”5
To this end, Przybyla discussed how physics-based microstructure-sensitive
models are being developed to predict response variability based on inherent microstructure variability in the mate-rial, quantified using the automated approaches described. Specifically, he discussed a physics-based approach to model oxidation behavior of SiC/SiC composites. When these physics-based modeling tools are coupled with auto-mated microstructure quantification tools, the vision of ICME is closer to reality for continuous-fiber-reinforced composites, such as ceramic-matrix composites in development for cur-rent extreme environment aerospace applications.
Thermal protection materialsModeling of the behavior of thermal
protection systems (TPS) was discussed by Sylvia Johnson (NASA). Considerable work on this topic is underway at the NASA-Ames Research Center (Moffett Field, Calif.). Researchers have devel-oped codes to predict aerothermal envi-ronments that allow vehicle designers to establish TPS material and system requirements for hypersonic flight and re-entry vehicles. Johnson noted that the type of analysis required depends on the system and the information needed. She outlined a minimum set of inputs required, including
• Complete set of accurate thermal and mechanical properties for all materi-als in the model;
• Thermal and mechanical environ-
mental and boundary conditions appro-priate for the model; and
• Use of physics- and chemistry-based models (rather than correlations) with parameters that can be obtained from experiments.
Johnson says multiscale models can account for physics and chemistry across a spectrum of length and time scales. NASA research on TPS materials focuses on the need to account for processes, such as pyrolysis, ablation, and location (e.g., leading edges versus windward aeroshell), as well as associated changes in the material, shape, and aerodynamic response. She noted that NASA con-siders the models to be in a relatively advanced stage.
Brian Sullivan (Materials Research & Design Inc.) discussed TPS panels in hypersonic vehicles. In the past, these panels were intended solely to protect the internal structure from the heat of hyper-sonic flight. He pointed out that these TPS were considered “parasitic mass,” because their function was entirely thermal and not load bearing. Recently, however, load-bearing TPS have become more prevalent, incorporating features that provide a more integrated function for the vehicle. Sullivan discussed examples for using ICME to design C/SiC and SiC/SiC composites for this and other applications and how features, such as foreign object damage resistance, can be modeled via failure analysis to guide materials fabrication methods.
Figure 1. Evolution of computation and modeling efforts.
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Failure modelingOne of the important aspects of using
ceramic materials in structural applica-tions is dealing with the statistical nature of brittle failure. Ensuring reliability under operating stresses is particularly critical. Steve Freiman discussed work at NIST6 to develop a new statistical approach to predict safe operating life-times for ceramics. Researchers need to calculate such a lifetime and to deter-mine uncertainty in the lower limit of the calculation. A statistical approach is needed, because nondestructive tech-niques cannot distinguish critical flaws in a ceramic part. Although proof testing is used to eliminate lower strength parts, such procedures are costly and difficult to apply accurately.
Freiman explained that most uncer-tainty determinations of brittle failure currently are conducted using a two-parameter Weibull expression,7 but this approach is unduly conservative and may not best fit data. In most cases, a three-parameter Weibull equation provides a better fit to experimental data, but other mathematical expressions also can be used to fit data. Possible growth of flaws due to environmentally enhanced crack growth also can be accounted for in the calculations given the proper series of test procedures.
Freiman proposed a three-step approach to determining mechanical reliability.
Step 1: Fit an expression to test data, e.g., using three-parameter Weibull, and establish minimum initial strength and standard deviation.
Step 2: Determine uncertainty in the lower limit to initial strength of the uni-verse of components, using appropriate statistical software.
Step 3: Combine measurement uncer-tainties associated with determining val-ues for various measurement parameters in calculating probability-of-failure, if the existence of environmentally enhanced crack growth has been determined.
Atomistic modelingChandler Becker (NIST) presented
a snapshot of some materials modeling efforts at NIST, particularly focused on atomic-scale simulations of ceramic mate-rials. These efforts include combined
computational and experimental efforts to study defect structures in graphene (Cockayne) and elucidate structures in gas sorption materials (Wong-Ng). NIST researchers also use high-throughput-density functional methods to screen appropriate substrates for growth and functionalization of 2-D materials. Density functional theory (DFT) and cluster expansion methods examine the effect of vibrational entropy in DFT-based phase diagram calculations. These effects can be particularly large for NaCl–KCl composites.
Additional NIST efforts focus on documenting limits of various methods. Specifically, these efforts assess and docu-ment uncertainties in DFT calculations that result from various approximations, including the effect of basis set expansion and exchange correlation functional in silicon, aluminum, carbon, and zirco-nium. A demonstration was conducted of how choices related to surface location (and thus cross-sectional area) of nano-wires in molecular simulations affected the calculated axial Young's modulus and, specifically, how the determination of cross-sectional area can alter calculated diameter dependence of this property. This analysis might be useful in under-standing the origins of various calculated and observed size effects in these systems.
Tim Mueller (Johns Hopkins University) addressed the availability of data needed to conduct computational studies. He noted several available web sites to acquire such data, including the Electronic Structure Project,8 The Materials Project,9 and AFLOWLIB.10 He demonstrated how analysis of mate-rial data sets can effectively facilitate dis-covery of promising new materials.
Noam Bernstein (NRL) discussed use of DFT to calculate properties of a mate-rial. He used the example of lithium-ion batteries to demonstrate effectiveness of DFT in searching for new materials. However, he also stated that DFT is computationally expensive to use.
Government sponsored computa-tion and modeling R&D
Ken Lipkowitz (ONR) discussed computer-aided materials design activi-ties focused on power and energy appli-
cations. ONR’s program objectives encompass discovery of new materials and improvement of materials. Thrusts include new mathematical procedures, high-throughput screening, informatics, and multiscale simulation. The “materi-als fingerprint” concept (similar to that used in the pharmaceutical industry) to identify new materials with similar characteristics and functions to estab-lished materials is another path for materials design. Lipkowitz also cited the AFLOWLIB as a resource.
Lynnette Madsen (NSF) reported that computation and modeling is spread across the foundation. Ceramic pro-posals that are solely experimental or that have a computational component and an experimental component often are reviewed in the Ceramics Program within the Division of Materials Research (DMR). Within the Ceramics Program, about 150 projects are active at any given time. About one-third have two or more investigators, and many of these (35%–40%) have a computational/theory expert as part of the project. On the other hand, purely computational/theory sci-entific projects are considered within the Condensed Matter and Materials Theory Program (in DMR).
The Division of Mathematical Sciences (DMS), which is within the Directorate for Mathematical and Physical Science (MPS), supports research that develops and explores properties and applica-tions of mathematical structures. DMS researchers are encouraged to develop collaborations in a range of areas (manu-facturing, clean energy, etc.) through its innovation incubator program.11 Proposals dealing with application of fundamental science to design and devel-opment of new devices and engineering systems are reviewed in the Engineering Directorate.
The Computer and Information Science and Engineering (CISE) Directorate’s goals include advanced infrastructure and computing. Small team projects (in the $0.5M to $1.5M range) are reviewed in the competition titled Designing Materials to Revolutionize and Engineer our Future, which is NSF’s response to MGI and cuts across three directorates (MPS, ENG, and CISE).
American Ceramic Society Bulletin, Vol. 95, No. 3 | www.ceramics.org 39
Discussion of tools and computa-tional methods
So far, this article has presented the views and programs of attendees at the ICCCRD meeting. Some other related ongoing efforts to model properties and behavior of ceramic materials are sum-marized hereafer.
A report of a NIST-supported study conducted by The Minerals, Metals, and Materials Society (TMS), “Modeling across scales,”12 discusses many proce-dures that apply to modeling materials across length and time scales. Figure 2 illustrates some of the connections among modeling methods.
For example, TMS report authors at the ICCCRD workshop suggest DFT as the primary technique available for calculating many properties of inorganic solids. The TMS report suggests that DFT is limited to strongly correlated materials with volumes of localized elec-trons, e.g., molecular materials and some insulating solids.
A 2008 publication13 details some of the limitations of DFT. The authors note that DFT succeeds in predicting structure and thermodynamic properties of molecules and solids. Nevertheless, they point out some of the major failures of this technique, namely, underestima-tion of barriers to chemical reactions, band gaps of materials, energies of dis-sociation, and charge transfer excitation energies. DFT also overestimates binding energies of charge transfer complexes and response to an electric field in mol-ecules and materials. The authors also note that DFT can describe accurately a chemical bond, e.g., H
2, but fails as the
molecule is stretched. This failure per-haps explains the difficulty in calculating fracture behavior.
The TMS report mentions another modeling tool: quantum Monte Carlo (QMC). This is a relatively new tech-nique that is undergoing development. However, the computational expense to use QMC is quite high.
The TMS report suggests other pos-sible modeling methods, including use of classical potentials to represent the complex bonding interaction between atoms. The report notes that “when deriving a potential for a specific system,
it is important to recognize in advance that properties are ultimately to be pre-dicted by the simulation.”
Fracture of brittle materials Fracture of brittle materials is an
area of computation and modeling par-ticularly relevant to the ceramics field. Researchers can calculate elastic proper-ties of a single crystal fairly accurately. However, fundamental resistance to fracture of this crystal, fracture toughness (K
IC) or fracture energy (ϒ)—although
known to be directly proportional to the elastic modulus14—cannot be determined a-priori. Most factors that influence fracture behavior of even simple single crystals are available only through direct measurements, many of which are dif-ficult to conduct, and are not necessarily fundamental in nature. This measure-ment problem becomes more severe as the size of materials reaches nanoscale regimes. In addition, there are anomalies to fracture behavior that researchers cannot explain. A recent review article15 gives an up-to-date perspective on the atomistics of fracture.
Environmentally enhanced crack growth under stress that can lead to time-dependent failure occurs in most ceramics. Researchers have attempted to predict stress-dependent reactions of environments, e.g., in water, with silica and silicon. Wong-Ng et al.16 used molecular orbital calculations to deter-mine effects of bond strain on charge distribution in silica. They noted that although absolute value of the electron
distribution depends on the exact con-figuration of strain, the general trends remain the same. In another part of the study, Lindsay et al.17 used the same molecular orbital approach to examine effects of applying stress to the Si—O bond in the presence of environments, including water and other crack-growth-enhancing environments.
Bartlett and co-workers18 conducted a quantum mechanics calculation on the reaction of water with silica using second-order perturbation theory. Their calcula-tions showed that it should be a water molecule dimer rather than a monomer that reacts with the Si—O—Si bond.
West and Hench19 used a semiempiri-cal method to model fracture of silica rings. Although a drawback of semiem-pirical techniques is their reliance on experimental data, they can model much larger groups of atoms. West and Hench concluded that in the presence of water, threefold rings will be the primary site at which bond rupture will occur, i.e., cracks will seek out threefold ring struc-tures to follow as they grow.
Silicon in bulk form shows no evi-dence of water-enhanced crack growth. Molecular orbital calculations on strained silicon20 suggest that silicon shows no tendency to charge polariza-tion as a result of strain and that strain-ing a Si—Si bond does not lead to an attractive force between the bond and a water molecule.
Molecular dynamics (MD) is an approach to model the fracture process, in which researchers can follow simu-
Figure 2. Modeling methods across length scales.12
Cre
dit:
TM
S
Computation and modeling applied to ceramic materials
www.ceramics.org | American Ceramic Society Bulletin, Vol. 95, No. 340
lated motion of atoms or molecules of material. Basically, it solves Newton’s equations of motion for a set of par-ticles. Researchers have used MD fairly extensively to explore structure and brittle fracture in glasses. They can evalu-ate static and dynamic properties of the system as a function of temperature. A primary requirement is an accurate representation of interatomic potential between entities. Muralidharan et al.21 provide an excellent review of the field of MD simulation of silica fracture.
Ceramic-matrix compositesBecause of their mechanical proper-
ties at elevated temperatures, ceramic- matrix composites, particularly SiC/SiC, are particularly attractive for many appli-cations. According to Sullivan, one of the participants at the workshop, a press-ing need exists for models of oxidation behavior of materials and life prediction methodologies for SiC/SiC composites in engine environments. Sullivan noted that this approach requires obtaining a more complete understanding of the BN coating–fiber interface oxidation mecha-nisms and development of algorithms that permit modeling of oxidation at the constituent level. He also indicated there is a need for improved capabilities in process modeling to streamline tool design and reduce manufacturing costs.
Computationally derived materials play a significant role in NASA’s 2015 Technology Roadmap.22 The Roadmap notes, “The objective of this emerging technology is to design materials that are optimized for their intended usage, accel-erate materials development and integra-tion of physics-based models of materi-als at multiple length scales with new experimental capabilities to fully capture the relationship between processing, microstructure, properties, and perfor-mance for structural and multifunctional materials.” The Roadmap indicates that “simulation methods can span nearly 10 orders of magnitude in length scale and 15 orders of magnitude in time scale.”
Summary and ongoing questions This workshop raised many questions
regarding future needs and opportuni-ties for computation and modeling as
applied to glasses, single crystals, poly-crystalline ceramics, and ceramic-matrix composites. Although we have made significant progress in predicting funda-mental properties of simple materials, considerable work remains. Some of the many questions follow.
• What are the most important mate-rial properties and behaviors to address?
• Which calculation techniques offer the most promise (e.g., DFT, ab-initio quantum mechanics, molecular dynam-ics)? Limitations on use of DFT have been indentified4—are these limitations being overcome?
• How can temperature effects be readily incorporated into calculations?
• Is fundamental data necessary for calculations easily available?
• Are the results of simulation and modeling projects being archived in such a way as to make them fully accessible to the community?
• What education is needed in com-putation and modeling for experimental-ists and experts in the area? How can computation and modeling techniques be better used for discovery of new ceramics, reproducibility of ceramics, and obtaining robust descriptors of a material’s properties?
About the authorsSteve Freiman is president of
Freiman Consulting ([email protected]). Lynnette D. Madsen is program director, Ceramics, at the National Science Foundation ([email protected]). William Hong is on the research staff in the Science and Technology Division of the Institute for Defense Analyses ([email protected]).
DisclaimerAny opinion, finding, recommenda-
tion, or conclusion expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of NSF.
AcknowledgmentsThe authors gratefully acknowledge
the many conversations with participants in the workshop and others on this topic. Steve Freiman and William Hong gratefully acknowledge the support of ASDR&E for this work. Chandler Becker
acknowledges the work of her colleagues at NIST who contributed to the section on computation and modeling.
References1S.W. Freiman, L.D. Madsen, and J.W. McCauley, “Advances in ceramics through government-supported research,” Am. Ceram. Soc. Bull., 88 [1] 27–31 (2009).2S.W. Freiman, L.D. Madsen, and J. Rumble, “A perspec-tive on materials databases,” Am. Ceram. Soc. Bull., 90 [2] 28–32 (2011).3S.W. Freiman and L.D. Madsen, “Issues of scarce materi-als in the United States,” Am. Ceram. Soc. Bull., 91 [4] 40–45 (2012).4S.W. Freiman and L.D. Madsen, “The state of ceramic education in the United States and future opportunities,” Am. Ceram. Soc. Bull., 94 [2] 34–38 (Mar. 2015).5J. Allison, “Integrated computational materials engineer-ing: A perspective on progress and future steps,” J. Mater., 63 [4] 15–18 (2011).6S.W. Freiman, J. Fong, N. A. Heckert, and J. Filliben, “A new statistical methodology for assessing mechanical reli-ability”; manuscript.7“Standard practice for reporting uniaxial strength data and estimating Weibull distribution parameters for advanced ceramics,” ASTM Designation C 1239-07. Committee C28 on Advanced Ceramics, reapproved 2008. American Society for Testing and Materials, West Conshohocken, Pa.8http://gurka.fysik.uu.se/ESP/9http://materialsproject.org/10http://aflowlib.org/11http://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=505044&org=DMS12The Minerals, Metals, and Materials Society, Modeling across scales: A roadmapping study for connecting materials models and simulations across length and time scales. TMS, Warrendale, Pa., 2015.13A.J. Cohen, P. Mori-Sanchez, and W. Yang, “Insights into current limitations of density functional theory,” Science, 321, 792–94 (2008).14S.W. Freiman and J.J. Mecholsky Jr., “The fracture ener-gy of brittle crystals,” J. Mater. Sci., 45, 4063–66 (2010).15E. Bitzek, J.R. Kermode, and P. Gumbsch, “Atomistic aspects of fracture,” Int. J. Fract., 191, 13–30 (2015).16W. Wong-Ng, G.S. White, and S.W. Freiman, “Application of molecular orbital calculations to fracture mechanics: Effect of applied strain on charge distribution in silica,” J. Am. Ceram. Soc., 75, 3097–102 (1992).17C.G. Lindsay, G.S. White, S.W. Freiman, and W. Wong-Ng, “Molecular orbital study of an environmentally enhanced crack growth process in silica,” J. Am. Ceram. Soc., 77, 2179–87 (1994).18J.E. Del Bene, K. Runge, and R.J. Bartlett, “A quantum chemical mechanism for the water-initiated decomposition of silica,” Comput. Mater. Sci., 27, 102–108 (2003).19J.K. West and L.L. Hench, “The effect of environment on silica fracture: Vacuum, carbon monoxide, water, and nitrogen,” Philos. Mag. A, 77, 85–113 (1998).20G.S. White and W. Wong-Ng, “Molecular orbital calcula-tions comparing water-enhanced bond breakage in SiO
2
and Si”; in Fracture Mechanics of Ceramics, Vol. 12. Edited by R.C. Bradt, A.G. Evans, D.P.H. Hasselman. Plenum Press, New York, 1996.21K. Muralidharan, J.H. Simmons, P.A. Deymier, and K. Runge, “Molecular dynamics studies of brittle fracture in vitreous silica: Review and recent progress,” J. Non-Cryst. Solids, 1351, 1532–42 (2005).22http://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/thumbnails/image/oct_roadmaps n
41American Ceramic Society Bulletin, Vol. 95, No. 3 | www.ceramics.org
Calendar of eventsApril 20163–6 5th Int’l Directionally Solidified Eutectic Ceramics Workshop: DSEC V – Warsaw, Poland; www.dsec5.com
5–6 ACMA Composites Executive Forum – Washington, D.C.; www.acmanet.org
7–11 ICG XXIV Int’l Congress – Shanghai, China; www.icglass.org
17–21 MCARE 2016: Materials Challenges in Alternative and Renewable Energy – Hilton Clearwater Beach Resort, Clearwater, Fla.; www.ceramics.org/mcare2016
25–29 43rd ICMCTF: Int’l Conference on Metallurgical Coatings and Thin Films – San Diego, Calif.; www2.avs.org/conferences/icmctf
26–28 2nd Ceramics Expo – IX Center, Cleveland, Ohio; www.ceramicsexpousa.com
26–28 5th Ceramic Leadership Summit – Cleveland, Ohio; www.ceramics.org/cls2016
May 20162–4 Structural Clay Products Division Meeting – Embassy Suites, North Canton, Ohio; www.ceramics.org/ clay2016
2–4 Missouri Concrete Conference – Rolla, Mo.; www.dce.mst.edu
8–11 ICCPS-13: 13th Int’l Conference on Ceramic Processing Science – Nara, Japan; unit.aist.go.jp/ifmri/tl-int/iccps13
10–12 78th Annual PEI Technical Forum – Louisville, Ky.; www.porcelainenamel.com
18–22 WBC2016: 10th World Biomaterials Congress – Montreal, Canada; www.wbc2016.org
22–26 GOMD 2016: Glass and Optical Materials Division Meeting 2016 – The Madison Concourse Hotel and Governor’s Club, Madison, Wis.; www.ceramics.org/gomd2016
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June 201626–30 HTCMC 9 and GFMAT: 9th Int’l Conference on High-Temperature Ceramic-Matrix Composites and Global Forum on Advanced Materials and Technologies for Sustainable Development 2016 – Toronto Marriott Downtown Eaton Centre Hotel, Toronto, Canada; www.ceramics.org/htcmc9_gfmat2016
27–29 Electroceramics XV – Limoges, France; www.electroceramics15.com
July 20163–6 Microwave Materials and Their Applications – Seoul, South Korea; www.mma2016.com
11–13 Cements 2016: 7th Advances in Cement-Based Materials – Northwestern University, Evanston, Ill.; www.ceramics.org/cements2016
5–8 12th European SOFC and SOE Form: 20th Conference in Series with Exhibition – Kulture-und and Kongresszentrum Lucerne, Switzerland; www.EFCF.com
10–13 3rd Int’l Congress on 3D Materials Science 2016 – Pheasant Run Resort, St. Charles, Ill.; www.tms.org/meetings/2016/3DMS2016
17–21 6th Int’l Conference on Recrystallization and Grain Growth – Omni William Penn Hotel, Pittsburgh, Pa.; www.tms.org/meetings/2016/ReXGG2016
25–26 Diversity in the Minerals, Metals, and Materials Professions – Northwestern University, Evanston, Ill.; www.tms.org/meetings/2016/ diversity2016
28–31 Innovations in Biomedical Materials and Technologies – Rosemont Hyatt, Chicago, Ill.; www.ceramics.org/biomed2016
31–Aug. 5 Gordon Research Conference on Ceramics and Solid State Studies – Mount Holyoke College, South Hadley, Mass.; www.grc.org/programs
August 2016
21–23 ICC6: Int’l Congress on Ceramics – Dresden, Germany; www.icc-6.com
September 201628–29 SGT Centenary Conference and ESG2016 – Sheffield, U.K.; www.centenary.sgt.org/ conference.htm
5–9 ESG 2016/SGT100: Society of Glass Technology Conference – Sheffield, U.K.; www.sgt.org
28–29 59th Int’l Colloquium on Refractories 2016 – Aachen, Germany; www.ecref.eu
October 20161–6 6th Int’l Conference on Electrophoretic Deposition – Gyeongju, South Korea; www.engconf.org/conferences
resources
Dates in RED denote new entry in this issue.
Entries in BLUE denote ACerS events.
denotes meetings that ACerS cosponsors, endorses, or other- wise cooperates in organizing.
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LATEST SPEAKERS CONFIRMED INCLUDE:
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Matt O’ConnellComposites VS – CMC Industrialization Leader GE Aviation,GE Aviation
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TOP SHOW FEATURES• Free-to-attend, two-track Conference @ Ceramics Expo • 250+ specialist manufacturers • 3,000+ qualified decision makers • Complimentary networking receptions
April 26 – 28, 2016Cleveland, Ohio
ceramics, glass, and refractory manufacturers
meet theworld’s leadingfull agenda available
online
@
Register online for a free expo and conference pass www.ceramicsexpousa.com
Conference @ Ceramics Expo offers a two-track conference focusing on various ceramic and glass applications and manufacturing processes. Register today and attend the industry’s ONLY free-to-attend conference.
LATEST SPEAKERS CONFIRMED INCLUDE:
Don Bray Vice president, Technology, North America, Morgan Advanced Materials
Dr Jay E Lane Engineering fellow – Ceramics and Composites, Rolls-Royce
Ryoji NakamuraGeneral manager, Ceramics Sales and Marketing,TOTO Ltd.
Matt O’ConnellComposites VS – CMC Industrialization Leader GE Aviation,GE Aviation
Robert Cook PhD Business area manager, Composites, Lancer Systems
Jamil ClarkeSenior applications engineer, Hitachi High Technologies America Inc
Dr Dennis Eichorst Principal engineer, Honeywell FM&T
Daniel Elliott Sievers Ceramics engineer, Boeing
Dr Anatoly Rosenflanz Lead research specialist, 3M Company
TOP SHOW FEATURES• Free-to-attend, two-track Conference @ Ceramics Expo • 250+ specialist manufacturers • 3,000+ qualified decision makers • Complimentary networking receptions
April 26 – 28, 2016Cleveland, Ohio
ceramics, glass, and refractory manufacturers
meet theworld’s leadingfull agenda available
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Register online for a free expo and conference pass www.ceramicsexpousa.comFounding Partner Founding Partner
Please tell us about your role as technical manager – refractories, at Kerneos. What are your key focus areas and responsibilities?
As the technical manager for the North American Refractory Market, my primary goal is to develop and maintain relationships with our clients’ technical teams and provide the interface with our R&D team. We focus on listening to the issues that our customers are facing, and we attempt to assist them in reaching their specific goals through the products Kerneos offers. Conversely, a if a solution to their problem doesn’t exist in a form that we currently provide, it’s our mission to decipher their feedback and translate that information into a potential new product offering.
What would you say are the key challenges and opportunities you face at present?
We are in the same boat as everyone else when it comes to the current situation in the global refractory industry. The strong dollar, low oil prices, and the overcapacity/under-
SPEAKER INTERVIEW - JOSH PELLETIER
consumption of steel on a worldwide basis specifically has impacted our North American business. However, with challenges come opportunities. Kerneos always has prided itself on value creation at the customer level.
This is something we have done for more than 100 years. The global refractory market always has been cyclical in nature; this is also nothing new. During these difficult times, we focus on the challenges that our customers are struggling to overcome
and use that energy to guide our strategic offering.
What excites and challenges you about your work?
In the increasingly competitive global sourcing environment in which we all live and the challenges we face on a daily basis, the events that keep us on our toes as the reference supplier of calcium aluminates largely are related to staying one step ahead of the competition. The well-informed refractory manufacturers that we deal with know that this issue goes beyond cheap pricing discussions to include reliability of supply, response time, consistency and, of course, quality. Refractory manufacturers realize that a single misstep at a refinery or steel mill could result in years of lost revenue. As a result, we have invested millions of dollars at our manufacturing facilities to implement state-of-the-art quality control levers that help our customers sleep at night. Sometimes a lack of excitement is a very good thing.
According to Freedonia’s recently published research report, there is a shift taking place in the refractories
TECHNICAL MANAGER - REFRACTORIES NORTH AMERICA, KERNEOS
market toward the non-metallic minerals industry segment and high-cost, high-performance refractories. How does this impact material suppliers?
Interestingly enough, we don’t see this in our market. The reality is that steel remains the predominant consumer of refractory materials around the world. The unpredictable, cyclical nature of this market, especially in recent years, however, has pushed our customers to diversify their offerings and look at alternative revenue streams, new application segments, and new end users. So, in that sense, you could say there is a shift, but definitely not in volume consumed. One interesting effect of this is that manufacturers who traditionally tailored refractories for specific steel segments are now bringing this “tailoring” to other segments such as hydrocarbon processing, power generation or cement, rather than just offering generic materials engineered for steel. This, combined with increased competition, has created a real sense of urgency in refractory product development, leading to “solutions” and “innovation” being the new normal
for a refractory producer. So, I would not say that the trend is toward high-cost refractories necessarily but, more so, toward serving multiple markets and a more diversified portfolio.
Are you noticing a shift in demand for specific materials?Because so many refractory raw materials are transformed clay or refined ore, we believe that some minerals are more compromised than others. As our customers continue to seek new avenues of cost savings, and suppliers look to optimize their mines, we see an increase in the use of materials with more open specifications and in the amount of recycled materials being integrated into monolithic refractories. These events introduced many complexities on the formulation side and were a driving force in the launch of our Active Compounds range. One of these products, REFPAC 100, for example, is a multi-component dispersing compound that simplifies production processes and, ultimately, allows users to reach a lower overall formulation cost by being able to safely push the envelope on the compromise.
Can you elaborate on what types of demands are now put on refractory materials, how this differs from the past, and how this change is anticipated by material suppliers?
The trend in the refractory industry since the beginning always has appeared to be toward higher-performance, longer-lasting refractory materials that are easier and faster to install. However, the one issue is that for many years the measurement criteria were wrong. The Japanese were famous for beginning to measure refractory efficiency by calculating the kilograms of refractories that were required for every ton of steel production. For years this was the benchmark standard. However, today, end users are more prone to measure the dollars spent on refractories per ton of steel produced, not the kilograms consumed. It’s a slightly nuanced difference but another manifestation of efficiency versus effectiveness. It’s the total-cost-of-ownership (TCO) mentality that modern-day refractory users have come to embrace.
“The trend in the refractory industry since
the beginning always has appeared to be toward
higher-performance, longer-lasting refractory materials that are easier
and faster to install”
In this Ceramics Expo Speaker Spotlight, we spoke with Josh Pelletier, technical manager, Refractories, North America, Kerneos Inc. Kerneos has more than 100 years of manufacturing expertise and is the global leader in calcium aluminate technology and a primary supplier of critical raw materials to the worldwide refractory industry.
Josh Pelletier will be speaking at Conference @ Ceramics Expo 2016 in Cleveland, Ohio. Session: Track One - Examining Next-Generation Refractory MaterialsDate: Wednesday April 27, 2016Time: 11:45 a.m. – 12.45 p.m.Price: Complimentary
Invitation to attend
Register online for a free expo and conference pass www.ceramicsexpousa.com
Please tell us about your role as technical manager – refractories, at Kerneos. What are your key focus areas and responsibilities?
As the technical manager for the North American Refractory Market, my primary goal is to develop and maintain relationships with our clients’ technical teams and provide the interface with our R&D team. We focus on listening to the issues that our customers are facing, and we attempt to assist them in reaching their specific goals through the products Kerneos offers. Conversely, a if a solution to their problem doesn’t exist in a form that we currently provide, it’s our mission to decipher their feedback and translate that information into a potential new product offering.
What would you say are the key challenges and opportunities you face at present?
We are in the same boat as everyone else when it comes to the current situation in the global refractory industry. The strong dollar, low oil prices, and the overcapacity/under-
SPEAKER INTERVIEW - JOSH PELLETIER
consumption of steel on a worldwide basis specifically has impacted our North American business. However, with challenges come opportunities. Kerneos always has prided itself on value creation at the customer level.
This is something we have done for more than 100 years. The global refractory market always has been cyclical in nature; this is also nothing new. During these difficult times, we focus on the challenges that our customers are struggling to overcome
and use that energy to guide our strategic offering.
What excites and challenges you about your work?
In the increasingly competitive global sourcing environment in which we all live and the challenges we face on a daily basis, the events that keep us on our toes as the reference supplier of calcium aluminates largely are related to staying one step ahead of the competition. The well-informed refractory manufacturers that we deal with know that this issue goes beyond cheap pricing discussions to include reliability of supply, response time, consistency and, of course, quality. Refractory manufacturers realize that a single misstep at a refinery or steel mill could result in years of lost revenue. As a result, we have invested millions of dollars at our manufacturing facilities to implement state-of-the-art quality control levers that help our customers sleep at night. Sometimes a lack of excitement is a very good thing.
According to Freedonia’s recently published research report, there is a shift taking place in the refractories
TECHNICAL MANAGER - REFRACTORIES NORTH AMERICA, KERNEOS
market toward the non-metallic minerals industry segment and high-cost, high-performance refractories. How does this impact material suppliers?
Interestingly enough, we don’t see this in our market. The reality is that steel remains the predominant consumer of refractory materials around the world. The unpredictable, cyclical nature of this market, especially in recent years, however, has pushed our customers to diversify their offerings and look at alternative revenue streams, new application segments, and new end users. So, in that sense, you could say there is a shift, but definitely not in volume consumed. One interesting effect of this is that manufacturers who traditionally tailored refractories for specific steel segments are now bringing this “tailoring” to other segments such as hydrocarbon processing, power generation or cement, rather than just offering generic materials engineered for steel. This, combined with increased competition, has created a real sense of urgency in refractory product development, leading to “solutions” and “innovation” being the new normal
for a refractory producer. So, I would not say that the trend is toward high-cost refractories necessarily but, more so, toward serving multiple markets and a more diversified portfolio.
Are you noticing a shift in demand for specific materials?Because so many refractory raw materials are transformed clay or refined ore, we believe that some minerals are more compromised than others. As our customers continue to seek new avenues of cost savings, and suppliers look to optimize their mines, we see an increase in the use of materials with more open specifications and in the amount of recycled materials being integrated into monolithic refractories. These events introduced many complexities on the formulation side and were a driving force in the launch of our Active Compounds range. One of these products, REFPAC 100, for example, is a multi-component dispersing compound that simplifies production processes and, ultimately, allows users to reach a lower overall formulation cost by being able to safely push the envelope on the compromise.
Can you elaborate on what types of demands are now put on refractory materials, how this differs from the past, and how this change is anticipated by material suppliers?
The trend in the refractory industry since the beginning always has appeared to be toward higher-performance, longer-lasting refractory materials that are easier and faster to install. However, the one issue is that for many years the measurement criteria were wrong. The Japanese were famous for beginning to measure refractory efficiency by calculating the kilograms of refractories that were required for every ton of steel production. For years this was the benchmark standard. However, today, end users are more prone to measure the dollars spent on refractories per ton of steel produced, not the kilograms consumed. It’s a slightly nuanced difference but another manifestation of efficiency versus effectiveness. It’s the total-cost-of-ownership (TCO) mentality that modern-day refractory users have come to embrace.
“The trend in the refractory industry since
the beginning always has appeared to be toward
higher-performance, longer-lasting refractory materials that are easier
and faster to install”
In this Ceramics Expo Speaker Spotlight, we spoke with Josh Pelletier, technical manager, Refractories, North America, Kerneos Inc. Kerneos has more than 100 years of manufacturing expertise and is the global leader in calcium aluminate technology and a primary supplier of critical raw materials to the worldwide refractory industry.
Josh Pelletier will be speaking at Conference @ Ceramics Expo 2016 in Cleveland, Ohio. Session: Track One - Examining Next-Generation Refractory MaterialsDate: Wednesday April 27, 2016Time: 11:45 a.m. – 12.45 p.m.Price: Complimentary
Invitation to attend
Register online for a free expo and conference pass www.ceramicsexpousa.comFounding Partner Founding Partner
2016 glass and optical materials division annual meetingThe Madison Concourse Hotel and Governor’s Club | Madison, Wis., USA
may 22–26, 2016
www.ceramics.org | American Ceramic Society Bulletin, Vol. 95, No. 346
Technical Program S1: Fundamentals of the glassy stateSession 1: Glass formation and structural relaxationSession 2: Fundamentals and applications of glass- crystallizationSession 3: Structural characterization of glassesSession 4: Computational and theoretical studies of glassesSession 5: Mechanical properties of glassesSession 6: Non-oxide and metallic glassesSession 7: Glass under extreme conditions
S2: Larry L. Hench Memorial Symposium on bioactive glasses
S3: Optical and electronic materials and devices—Fundamentals and applicationsSession 1: Amorphous ionic and electronic conductors: Materials and devicesSession 2: Optical fibersSession 3: Optical materials for components and devicesSession 4: Laser interactions with glassSession 5: Glass-ceramics and optical ceramics
S4: Glass technology and cross-cutting topicsSession 1: Glass surfaces and functional coatingsSession 2: Liquid synthesis and sol-gel-derived materialsSession 3: Challenges in glass manufacturingSession 4: Waste immobilization—Waste form development: Processing and performance
S5: Festschrift for Professor Donald R. Uhlmann
For more information and to register, go to ceramics.org/gomd2016
Join the Glass and Optical Materials Division (GOMD 2016) May 22–26, 2016, in Madison, Wis., for a program featuring five symposia—Fundamentals of the glassy state, Larry L. Hench Memorial Symposium on bioactive glasses, Optical and electronic materials and devices, Glass technology and cross-cutting topics, and Festschrift for Professor Donald R. Uhlmann. Technical sessions consisting of oral and poster presentations, led by technical leaders from industry, national laboratories, and academia, provide an open forum for glass scientists and engineers from around the world to present and exchange findings on recent advances in various aspects related to glass science and technology. register today at ceramics.org/gomd2016.
The madison concourse hoTel and governor’s club1 W. Dayton St. | Madison, WI 53703
To make a hotel reservation call 800-356-8293
ACerS group rate $163 plus tax. Available on or before April 22 or until the block sells out. Rooms will go fast—don’t wait to book a room!
special thanks to our conference sponsors
Register by April 10 to save $150!ceramics.org/gomd2016
sTookey lecTure of discovery Monday, May 23, 2016 | 8:00 a.m. – 9:00 a.m.
david l. griscom, impactGlass research international
Title: The life and unexpected discoveries of an intrepid glass scientist
george W. morey aWard lecTure Tuesday, May 24, 2016 | 8:00 a.m. – 9:00 a.m.
hellmut eckert, Institute of Physics in São Carlos, University of São Paulo, Brazil, & Insti-tute of Physical Chemistry, University of Münster, Germany
Title: Spying with spins on messy materials: 50 years of glass structure elucidation by NMR spectroscopy
darshana and arun varshneya fronTiers of glass science lecTure
Wednesday, May 25, 2016 | 8:00 a.m. – 9:00 a.m.
matteo ciccotti, Professeur de l’ESPCI, Labo-ratorie de Science et Ingenierie de la Matiere Molle, France
Title: Multiscale investigation of stress-corrosion crack propagation mechanisms in oxide glasses
darshana and arun varshneya fronTiers of glass Technology lecTure
Thursday, May 26, 2016 | 8:00 a.m. – 9:00 a.m.
matthew J. dejneka, research fellow, Corning Glass Research Group
Title: Chemically strengthened glasses and glass-ceramics
norberT J. kreidl aWard for young scholars
Tuesday, May 24, 2016 | 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.
lan li, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Title: Materials and devices for mechanically flexible integrated photonics
schedule Sunday, May 22, 2016Registration 4:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.
Welcome reception 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Monday, May 23, 2016Registration 7:00 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.
Stookey Lecture of Discovery 8:00 a.m. – 9:00 a.m.
Concurrent sessions 9:20 a.m. – 5:40 p.m.
Lunch on own 12:00 p.m. – 1:20 p.m.
GOMD general business meeting 5:45 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.
Poster session & student poster 6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. competition
Tuesday, May 24, 2016Registration 7:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.
George W. Morey Award Lecture 8:00 a.m. – 9:00 a.m.
Concurrent sessions 9:20 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.
The Norbert J. Kreidl Award for 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m. Young Scholars Lecture
Lunch on own 12:00 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.
Conference banquet 7:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.
Wednesday, May 25, 2016Registration 7:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Darshana and Arun Varshneya 8:00 a.m. – 9:00 a.m. Frontiers of Glass Science Lecture
Concurrent sessions 9:20 a.m. – 5:40 p.m.
“Practical tips for getting your 12:00 p.m. – 1:15 p.m. research published” sponsored by Saint-Gobain
Lunch on own 12:00 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.
Concurrent sessions 1:30 p.m. – 5:40 p.m.
Thursday, May 26, 2016Registration 7:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Darshana and Arun Varshneya 8:00 a.m. – 9:00 a.m. Frontiers of Glass Technology Lecture
Concurrent sessions 9:20 a.m. – 3:40 p.m.
American Ceramic Society Bulletin, Vol. 95, No. 3 | www.ceramics.org 47
2016 glass and optical materials division annual meetingThe Madison Concourse Hotel and Governor’s Club | Madison, Wis., USA
may 22–26, 2016
Register by April 10 to save $150!
www.ceramics.org | American Ceramic Society Bulletin, Vol. 95, No. 348
ceramics.org/gomd2016
Instabilities in glassMay 22, 2016 | 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. Madison Concourse Hotel
Instructor: arun varshneya, professor of glass science & engineering, emeritus, Alfred University
brush up on instabilities in glass – six hour short courseParticipants will learn about the commonly occurring instabilities in glass that plague
melting and forming—the underlying causes and potential remedies. Professor Varshneya explains in his tutorial style the basic science of bubble/seed control, transition-metal-ion color instability, inhomogeneities, water content, devitrification, phase separation, nonlinear viscosity, property variations in the glass transition range, and glass stabilization.
Professional engineers and scientists involved in glass melting/forming and troubleshooting, administrators who wish to acquire rapidly an understanding of glass production issues, and students who wish to append their education in materials engineering will benefit from this course. Attendees will be provided a copy of the instructor-authored Fundamentals of Inorganic Glasses, 2nd Edition.
Nucleation, growth, and crystallization in glasses—Fundamentals and applicationsMay 21– 22, 2016 | Saturday 1:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. Sunday 8:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Madison Concourse Hotel
Instructor: edgar Zanotto, Center for Research, Technology, and Education in Vitreous Materials, Federal University of São Carlos, Brazil
learn the popular predictive theories of nucleation, growth, and overall crystallization
After completing the course and homework, participants will learn how to apply these theories to avoid spontaneous devitrification to produce new glasses as well as start designing some glass-ceramics with simple nanostructures or microstructures.
This course is aimed at those interested in an updated, high-level, introduction to the intricate (dynamic and thermodynamic) processes that control crystal nucleation, growth, and overall crystallization of glasses, including industry professionals, postgraduates, and undergraduate students. This knowledge is key to the production of novel glasses and for development of new or improved glass-ceramics. It is recommended that participants have a significant background in materials science or engineering, chemistry, or physics. Previous knowledge and experience in glass science would be beneficial.
shorT courses Increase your knowledge with ACerS Ceramic Materials Short CoursesAre you an engineer, scientist, operations professional, or student looking to increase your materials science knowledge? Continue your education with ACerS Ceramic Materials Short Courses. Taught by experts, these courses expand on foundational topics and equip attendees with additional skills for the marketplace.
To reserve your spot, go to ceramics.org/gomd2016 or contact customer service at 866-721-3322 or 240-646-7054.
49American Ceramic Society Bulletin, Vol. 95, No. 3 | www.ceramics.org
Register by June 10, 2016, to save $150!
7th Advances in Cement-Based Materials (Cements 2016)
The 7th Annual Advances in Cement-Based Materials: Characterization, Processing, Modeling, and Sensing meeting is designed for engineers, scientists, industry professionals, and students interested in advanced cement-based materials. The 2016 Cements meeting takes place July 10-13, 2016, and will be hosted at Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill.
July 10-13, 2016 | Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill.
Topics for This year include:
• Cement chemistry and nano/microstructure • Advances in material characterization techniques • Alternative cementitious materials and material modification • Durability and lifecycle modeling • Advances in computational material science and chemo/mechanical modeling of cement-based materials • Smart materials and sensors • Rheology and advances in self-consolidating concrete
For more information and to register, go to
ceramics.org/cements2016
hoTels:
hilton orrington
1710 Orrington Avenue | Evanston, IL, USATel: 847-866-8700 | Fax: 847-866-8724 Reservations must be received on or before June 15, 2016.$145/night centerhilton Garden inn
1818 Maple Avenue | Evanston, IL, USATel: 847-475-6400 | Fax: 847-475-6460Reservations must be received on or before June 10, 2016.$169/night
proGram chairs:
david corr | [email protected]
matthew d’ambrosia | [email protected]
Jeffrey Chen | [email protected]
Administrator: Jennie edelstein | [email protected]
HTCMC 9—in conjunction with GFMAT 2016—takes place June 26–July 1 at the Toronto Marriott Downtown Eaton Centre Hotel,
Toronto, Canada. The joint meeting addresses key issues, challenges, and opportunities in a variety of advanced materials and
technologies that are critically needed for sustainable societal development.
HTCMC 9H1: Computational modeling and design of new materials and processes
H2: Design and development of advanced ceramic fibers, interfaces, and interphases in composites: A symposium in honor of professor Roger Naslain
H3: Innovative design, advanced processing, and manufacturing technologies
H4: Materials for extreme environments: Ultra-high-temperature ceram- ics and nanolaminated ternary carbides and nitrides (MAX phases)
H5: Polymer-derived ceramics and composites
H6: Advanced thermal and environmental barrier coatings: Processing, properties, and applications
H7: Thermomechanical behavior and performance of composites
H8: Ceramic integration and additive manufacturing technologies
H9: Component testing and evaluation of composites
H10: Ground-based applications: Transportation and industrial systems
GFMAT 2016G1: Powder processing innovation and technologies for advanced materials and sustainable development
G2: Functional nanomaterials for sustainable energy technologies
G3: Novel, green, and strategic processing and manufacturing technologies
G4: Ceramics for sustainable infrastructure: Geopolymers and sustainable composites
G5: Advanced materials, technologies, and devices for electrooptical and medical applications
G6: Porous ceramics for advanced applications through innovative processing
G7: Advanced functional materials, devices, and systems for environmental conservation and pollution control
G8: Multifunctional coatings for sustainable energy and environmental applications—Young Professionals Forum
Technical programThe conference features 20 symposia, covering a range of focused topics.
525 Bay Street Toronto, Ontario M5G 2L2, Canada416-597-9200Group rate – $199.99 CAD per night
Reservations available on or before June 3, 2016, or until the block sells out. Mention The American Ceramic Society.
Toronto Marriott Downtown Eaton Centre Hotel
50 www.ceramics.org | American Ceramic Society Bulletin, Vol. 95, No. 3
Global Forum on advanced materials and technoloGies For sustainable development – GFmat 2016
9th international conFerence on
hiGh-temperature ceramic- matrix composites – htcmc 9
Toronto Marriott Downtown Eaton Centre Hotel Toronto, Canada
JunE 26 – July 1, 2016 early-bird savings endMay 25, 2016$150 discount
51American Ceramic Society Bulletin, Vol. 95, No. 3 | www.ceramics.org
JunE 26 – July 1, 2016Toronto Marriott Downtown Eaton Center Hotel Toronto, Canada
Plenary SpeakersShunpei Yamazaki founder and president, Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co. Ltd.
Title: Discovery of indium gallium zinc oxide (CAAC-IGZO) and its applications in next- generation information display devices
Opportunities for networking and DiscussionHTCMC 9 and GFMAT 2016 networking events provide various opportunities to engage in
discussions on the global scale and develop lasting business relationships. A Young Profession-
als Forum and poster sessions also are planned for the meeting.
A.N. Sreeram senior vice president research & development and chief technology officer, Dow Chemical Co.
Title: The science of materials: Impactful solutions to big global challenges
Katherine A. Stevens general manager, MPED, GE Aviation
Title: TBA
Jörg Esslinger director materials engineering, MTU Aero Engines AG
Title: Ceramic-matrix composites (CMCs): Enabling materials for competitive aero-engines
Sunday, June 26, 2016Registration 4:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.
Welcome reception 5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.
Monday, June 27, 2016Registration 7:00 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.
Plenary session 8:00 a.m. – 9:00 a.m.
Concurrent sessions 9:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.
Lunch on own 12:00 p.m. – 1:20 p.m.
Tuesday, June 28, 2016Registration 7:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.
Plenary session 8:00 a.m. – 9:00 a.m.
Concurrent sessions 9:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.
Lunch on own 12:00 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.
Poster session 6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
Wednesday, June 29, 2016Registration 7:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.
Plenary session 8:00 a.m. – 9:00 a.m.
Concurrent sessions 9:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.
Lunch on own 12:00 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.
Conference banquet 7:00 p.m. – 9:30 p.m.
Thursday, June 30, 2016Registration 7:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.
Plenary session 8:00 a.m. – 9:00 a.m.
Concurrent sessions 9:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.
Lunch on own 12:00 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.
Friday, July 1, 2016Registration 7:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Concurrent sessions 9:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Schedule at a Glance
early-bird savings end
ceramics.org/htcmc9_gfmat2016
early-bird
savings end
May 25, 2016
$150 discount
Global Forum on advanced materials and technoloGies For sustainable development – GFmat 2016
9th international conFerence on hiGh temperature ceramic
matrix composites – htcmc 9
52 www.ceramics.org | American Ceramic Society Bulletin, Vol. 95, No. 3
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PROOFof your advertisement for insertion in the
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CeRTEV is an 11-year (started in 2013) joint effort of the Federal University at São Carlos (UFSCar), the University of São Paulo (USP) and the State University of São Paulo (UNESP), to conduct research in the area of Functional Glasses and Glass-Ceramics.
The postdoctoral research will be focused on fundamental and/or applied investigation of glass and glass-ceramics. The researcher is expected to conduct the post-doc activities in one of the joint CeRTEV laboratories and supervised by one of our Principal Investigators, but in close collaboration with the other CeRTEV researchers.
Applicants should have a PhD degree in Physics, Chemistry, Materials Science or Engineering, and have a genuine interest in conducting interdisciplinary research in an international environment. Previous experience in glass science, solid state physics or chemistry is advantageous. The monthly fellowships (non-taxable) include ca. R$ 6.000,-plus 15% professional expenses. Travel expenses from and to their home countries will also be covered. The three sister universities are committed to increase the proportion of women and ethnic minorities in academia. Please send your application including CV, list of publications, a 2-page research proposal,
and the names and email addresses of two references by June 5, 2016 to Prof. Dr. Edgar D. Zanotto ([email protected]) and Laurie Leal ([email protected]).
53American Ceramic Society Bulletin, Vol. 95, No. 3 | www.ceramics.org
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www.ceramics.org | American Ceramic Society Bulletin, Vol. 95, No. 356
When most people hear “3-D print-ing,” they think of polymer-based technologies. But 3-D printing can reach beyond polymers. Because of the advancement of additive manufactur-ing technologies since the mid-1980s, numerous applications have benefited from faster product development with minimal use of specialized tools.
What intrigues me is the potential of 3-D printing to bridge the gap between biomedical technology and engineering to make biomedical devices. The ability to build interconnected porous scaffolds with designed shapes, sizes, and modu-lated chemistries makes 3-D printing fasci-nating, yet challenging. Most 3-D-printed biomedical objects are designed for drug delivery, so they are biodegradable and consist of many biomolecules. But it is challenging to create a smart combination of biomolecules that can be designed and printed into a 3-D object.
My foray into 3-D printing started when my University of Central Florida research group supervisor, Sudipta Seal, wondered whether we could make human body parts using silk polymer. We purchased a 3-D printer and inte-grated it with syringe pumps, creating an in-house system to test the idea.
Currently I am working with a protein-based polymer, silk fibroin, to determine if its chemistry can be rendered suitable for 3-D printing. Silk polymer that is bio-compatible and biodegradable can act like a natural polymer base for creating artifi-cial tissue. I extract silk fibroin polymer from the Bombyx mori silkworm cocoon and modify its chemistry to perfect its consistency. Disclaimer: No silkworms are harmed in this process.
Additionally, this silk polymer can be mixed with other biomolecules, bioceramic nanoparticles, or live cells to increase the final product’s ability to regenerate tissues. My research group is currently perfecting composition and chemistry of such novel hybrid silk solu-tions. The solution ultimately must have functionalities such as mechanical integ-rity and tissue regeneration in addition to biocompatibility and biodegradability, which in themselves are more than half of the challenge.
Beyond material challenges, modeling and printing itself are crucial steps of the process. 3-D printable models can be created using computer-aided design (CAD) packages, which covert data to 3-D printer-compatible G-code. Manually creating geometric data for 3-D graphics is similar to sculpting, making it a cre-ative and exciting process. Presently, my research group is using 3-D CAD models to print control polymer solutions to optimize object design before printing with silk solutions.
My research group is exploring cre-ation of artificial tissues, such as noses and ears, and eventually aims to 3-D-print those tissue structures using live cells. Another important potential biomedical
Experiences and challenges in 3-D printing
deciphering the discipline Swetha Barkam Guest columnist
application of 3-D printing is creating artificial skin grafts for wound healing. In fact, the future of tissue engineering is closely portrayed in the movie Avengers: Age of Ultron, in which character Helen Cho repairs Hawkeye’s fresh wound using a combination of 3-D printing and synthetic tissue technology consisting of biomaterials with nanomolecular regen-eration powers.
3-D printing for biomedical applications combines chemistry, biology, engineering, and medicine and could revolutionize personal medicine by tailoring medical products, drugs, and equipment to indi-vidual patients. 3-D printing offers distinct benefits to medicine, including increased productivity, cost-effectiveness, collabora-tion, and, most importantly, democratiza-tion of design and manufacturing.
Potential biomedical applications of additive manufacturing are far-reaching—skin grafts, synthetic tissue regeneration, organ replacement, customized prosthet-ics, personalized implants, and anatomi-cal models to study medical science, for example. Advancements in this field are ushering in some exciting future trends, such as bioprinting of complex organs and in-situ printing of organ parts dur-ing medical operations. Collaboration of researchers across disciplines will be a critical step to revolutionize this rapidly developing field.
Swetha Barkam is a Ph.D. student
in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at University of Central Florida. She was recently selected to be inducted into the Order of Pegasus, the university’s most prestigious student award for academic excellence and com-munity service. Barkam is a member of ACerS President’s Council of Student Advisors and previously has served as president of Material Advantage and the Materials Research Society at UCF. She paints using acrylics in her leisure time, combining abstract art with science. n
Cre
dit:
Sw
etha
Bar
kam
A monthly column offering the student perspective of the next generation of ceramic and glass scientists, organized by the ACerS Presidents Council of Student Advisors (PCSA).
Swetha Barkam works on a 3-D printing machine to create artificial skin for bio-medical applications.
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1.00794Hydrogen
1 1
H
6.941Lithium
3 21
Li9.012182
Beryllium
4 22
Be
22.98976928Sodium
11 281Na
24.305Magnesium
12 282Mg
39.0983Potassium
19 2881K
40.078Calcium
20 2882Ca
85.4678Rubidium
37 28
1881Rb
87.62Strontium
38 28
1882Sr
132.9054Cesium
55 28
181881Cs
137.327Barium
56 28
181882Ba
(223)Francium
87 28
18321881
Fr(226)
Radium
88 28
18321882
Ra
44.955912Scandium
21 2892Sc
47.867Titanium
22 28
102Ti
50.9415Vanadium
23 28
112V
51.9961Chromium
24 28
131Cr
54.938045Manganese
25 28
132Mn
55.845Iron
26 28
142Fe
58.933195Cobalt
27 28
152Co
58.6934Nickel
28 28
162Ni
63.546Copper
29 28
181Cu
65.38Zinc
30 28
182Zn
88.90585Yttrium
39 28
1892Y
91.224Zirconium
40 28
18102Zr
92.90638Niobium
41 28
18121Nb
95.96Molybdenum
42 28
18131Mo
(98.0)Technetium
43 28
18132Tc
101.07Ruthenium
44 28
18151Ru
102.9055Rhodium
45 28
18161Rh
106.42Palladium
46 28
1818Pd
107.8682Silver
47 28
18181Ag
112.411Cadmium
48 28
18182Cd
138.90547Lanthanum
57 28
181892La
178.48Hafnium
72 28
1832102Hf
180.9488Tantalum
73 28
1832112Ta
183.84Tungsten
74 28
1832122W
186.207Rhenium
75 28
1832132Re
190.23Osmium
76 28
1832142Os
192.217Iridium
77 28
1832152Ir
195.084Platinum
78 28
1832171Pt
196.966569Gold
79 28
1832181Au
200.59Mercury
80 28
1832182Hg
(227)Actinium
89 28
18321892
Ac(267)
Rutherfordium
104 28
183232102
Rf(268)
Dubnium
105 28
183232122
Db(271)
Seaborgium
106 28
183232112
Sg(272)
Bohrium
107 28
183232132
Bh(270)
Hassium
108 28
183232142
Hs(276)
Meitnerium
109 28
183232152
Mt(281)
Darmstadtium
110 28
183232171
Ds(280)
Roentgenium
111 28
183232181
Rg(285)
Copernicium
112 28
183232182
Cn
4.002602Helium
2 2
He
10.811Boron
5 23
B12.0107Carbon
6 24
C14.0067
Nitrogen
7 25
N15.9994Oxygen
8 26
O18.9984032Fluorine
9 27
F20.1797Neon
10 28
Ne
26.9815386Aluminum
13 283Al
28.0855Silicon
14 284Si
30.973762Phosphorus
15 285P
32.065Sulfur
16 286S
35.453Chlorine
17 287Cl
39.948Argon
18 288Ar
69.723Gallium
31 28
183Ga
72.64Germanium
32 28
184Ge
74.9216Arsenic
33 28
185As
78.96Selenium
34 28
186Se
79.904Bromine
35 28
187Br
83.798Krypton
36 28
188Kr
114.818Indium
49 28
18183In
118.71Tin
50 28
18184Sn
121.76Antimony
51 28
18185Sb
127.6Tellurium
52 28
18186Te
126.90447Iodine
53 28
18187I
131.293Xenon
54 28
18188Xe
204.3833Thallium
81 28
1832183Tl
207.2Lead
82 28
1832184Pb
208.9804Bismuth
83 28
1832185Bi
(209)Polonium
84 28
1832186Po
(210)Astatine
85 28
1832187At
(222)Radon
86 28
1832188Rn
(284)Ununtrium
113 28
183232183
Uut(289)
Flerovium
114 28
183232184
Fl(288)
Ununpentium
115 28
183232185
Uup(293)
Livermorium
116 28
183232186
Lv(294)
Ununseptium
117 28
183232187
Uus(294)
Ununoctium
118 28
183232188
Uuo
140.116Cerium
58 28
181992Ce
140.90765Praseodymium
59 28
182182Pr
144.242Neodymium
60 28
182282Nd
(145)Promethium
61 28
182382Pm
150.36Samarium
62 28
182482Sm
151.964Europium
63 28
182582Eu
157.25Gadolinium
64 28
182592Gd
158.92535Terbium
65 28
182782Tb
162.5Dysprosium
66 28
182882Dy
164.93032Holmium
67 28
182982Ho
167.259Erbium
68 28
183082Er
168.93421Thulium
69 28
183182Tm
173.054Ytterbium
70 28
183282Yb
174.9668Lutetium
71 28
183292Lu
232.03806Thorium
90 28
183218102
Th231.03588
Protactinium
91 28
18322092
Pa238.02891Uranium
92 28
18322192
U(237)
Neptunium
93 28
18322292
Np(244)
Plutonium
94 28
18322482
Pu(243)
Americium
95 28
18322582
Am(247)
Curium
96 28
18322592
Cm(247)
Berkelium
97 28
18322782
Bk(251)
Californium
98 28
18322882
Cf(252)
Einsteinium
99 28
18322982
Es(257)
Fermium
100 28
18323082
Fm(258)
Mendelevium
101 28
18323182
Md(259)
Nobelium
102 28
18323282
No(262)
Lawrencium
103 28
18323283
Lr