Computers used to take up entire rooms. Today, a two-pound laptop can slide effortlessly into a backpack. But that wouldn’t have been possible without the creation of new, smaller processors — which are only possible with the innovation of new materials. But how do materials scientists actually invent new materials? Through experimentation, explains Sanket Deshmukh,…
World’s First Passive Anti-Frosting Surface Fights Ice with Ice
Nothing foretells the coming of winter like frost on windshields. While the inconvenience of scraping or defrosting car windows may define cold mornings for many drivers, the toll frost takes on the larger economy is more than just a nuisance. From delayed flights to power outages, ice buildup can cost consumers and companies billions of dollars every…
Researchers Develop Process To 3D Print One Of Strongest Materials On Earth
Researchers from Virginia Tech and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory have developed a novel way to 3D print complex objects of one of the highest-performing materials used in the battery and aerospace industries. Previously, researchers could only print this material, known as graphene, in 2D sheets or basic structures. But Virginia Tech engineers have now collaborated…
Mechanical Engineer Creates 3D Printed Multimaterial With Programmed Stiffness
A new method of microscale 3D printing features in-situ resin mixing, delivery and exchange, and a robotic material cleansing system to allow switching between materials of different modulus, or flexibility, without cross contamination between properties. The method, called multimaterial programmable additive manufacturing with integrated resin delivery, is featured in the journal Scientific Reports. The technology could be…
3-D Printed High-Performance Polymer Could Be Used in Space
Virginia Tech researchers have created a novel way to 3-D print the type of high-temperature polymeric materials commonly used to insulate spacecraft and satellites from extreme heat and cold. Previously, the polyimide could previously be made only in sheets. The material, formally known as Kapton, is an aromatic polymer composed of carbons and hydrogens inside…
Virginia Tech Team Develops Novel 3-D Printed High-Performance Polymer That Could Be Used In Space
Virginia Tech researchers have created a novel way to 3-D print the type of high-temperature polymeric materials commonly used to insulate space craft and satellites from extreme heat and cold. Previously, the polyimide could previously be made only in sheets. The material, formally known as Kapton, is an aromatic polymer composed of carbons and hydrogens…
Virginia Tech Scientist Develops Model for Robots with Bacteria-Controlled Brains
Forget the Vulcan mind-meld of the Star Trek generation — as far as mind control techniques go, bacteria is the next frontier. In a paper published July 16 in Scientific Reports, which is part of the Nature Publishing Group, a Virginia Tech scientist used a mathematical model to demonstrate that bacteria can control the behavior…
Bat-Inspired Sonar System Unveiled
Rolf Mueller, an associate professor of mechanical engineering in the College of Engineering at Virginia Tech, has developed a prototype of a dynamic sonar system inspired by horseshoe bats. The prototype was presented Wednesday (May 20) at the Acoustical Society of America meeting in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The principles used in its design could eventually lead…
Using Unmanned Aircraft for Utility Inspections
The first Mid-Atlantic Aviation Partnership at Virginia Tech test flight using a fixed-wing unmanned aircraft to inspect an energy pipeline route — with a piloted chase plane following behind to ensure safety beyond the ground observers’ sight line — was completed last week. The flight was a step toward making aerial inspections of energy pipelines…
Multi-Million Dollar Award to Accelerate Research Using Supercomputers
More than a year ago, Virginia Tech announced the creation of HokieSpeed, a supercomputer so energy efficient that it was the highest-ranked commodity supercomputer in the U.S. on the Green500 List in 2011. The Green500 compiles a ranking of the most energy-efficient supercomputers in the world, akin to ranking the most fuel-efficient vehicles in the…