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A D V A N C E D M A T E R I A L S & P R O C E S S E S | J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 7

8

METALS | POLYMERS | CERAMICS

HYDROGEN STORAGE

MATERIALS BOOST EFFICIENCY

A Florida State University, Talla-

hassee, researcher has designed new

materials that could be used to store hy-

drogen fuel more efficiently in vehicles

or other devices that use clean energy.

Jose Mendoza-Cortes, assistant pro-

fessor in the College of Engineering, is

using complex mathematical equations

and computer simulations to design

porous materials made with transition

metals—compounds involving cobalt,

iron, or nickel—that cause hydrogen to

bond with it.

This next-generation design could

then be placed in the tank of a hydrogen

fuel vehicle. The idea is that since hydro-

gen will bind to the actual device, more

hydrogen could be packed in and con-

densed into a tank. Because the hydro-

gen easily sticks to the device, the tank

would never actually reach empty. Ad-

ditionally, it would take a smaller ener-

gy expenditure to fill the tank. “In other

words, more hydrogen can be stored at

lower pressures and room temperature,

making some of these materials good

for practical use,” says Mendoza-Cortes.

As of 2016, Toyota, Hyundai, and Honda

have produced hydrogen fuel cars.

For

more information: Jose Mendoza-Cortes,

mendoza@eng.fsu.edu

,

www.fsu.edu

.

MAGNESIUM IMPLANT

NATURALLY RESORBS

A new bioresorbable magnesium

alloy from Magnesium Elektron, UK,

won the 2016 Product of the Year award

at the Bionow Life Science Industry

Awards. The SynerMag alloy is used to

make temporary patient implants and

is the key structural material in Mag-

maris—reportedly the first clinically

proven, bioresorbable metallic cardio-

vascular scaffold. Because it is made

of magnesium, the scaffold has some

unique advantages over polymer-based

options in terms of deliverability and ra-

dial resistance following implantation.

After repairing an artery over a sever-

al-month period, the SynerMag-based

Magmaris scaffold resorbs naturally,

allowing vessels to restore vasomotion

as soon as six months later.

magne-

sium-elektron.com.

Researchers at

Eindhoven University of Technology,

the Netherlands, are working

toward making cement from the hundred million tons of steel slag waste gener-

ated from steel production each year. Steel slag has a mineralogical composition

that closely resembles cement and contains the same components, but in different

ratios. If successful, the new cement will cut tens of millions of tons of CO

2

emissions

each year.

www.tue.nl/en

.

GLASS GEARSHOLD PROMISE

FOR SPACE ROBOTS

At NASA’s Jet Propulsion Labora-

tory (JPL), Pasadena, Calif., technol-

ogist Douglas Hofmann and his team

are building a better gear for precision

robotics made from bulk metallic glass

(BMG). “Our team of researchers and

engineers in collaboration with groups

at Caltech and UC San Diego, have put

BMGs through the necessary testing to

demonstrate their potential benefits for

NASA spacecraft. These materials may

SynerMag alloy is the key structural material in Magmaris—said to be the first clinically prov-

en, metallic cardiovascular scaffold, manufactured by Biotronik. Courtesy of Business Wire.

BRIEFS

Houghton International,

Valley

Forge, Pa., launched a redesigned

website to deliver streamlined

access to detailed information

regarding the company and its

solutions. The site provides infor-

mation regarding global opera-

tions and advanced products and

services in 14 languages across all

platforms and devices.

houghton-

intl.com

Steel slag stockpile next to a steel factory.

Courtesy of TU Eindhoven.