February AMP_Digital

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 | F E B R U A R Y / M A R C H 2 0 1 9 8 METALS | POLYMERS | CERAMICS Kobe Steel Ltd., Japan, an- nounced that its U.S. subsidiary, Kobelco Aluminum Products & Extrusions Inc. (KPEX), will invest $42 million to increase production capacity at its plant in Bowling Green, Ky. Established in April 2016, KPEX manufactures and sells bumper and car frame materials. www.kobelco.co.jp . St. Paul Foundry, a 150-year-old manufacturer of brass, bronze, and aluminum cast components in St. Paul, Minn., received certifi- cation to AS9100 Rev D from Orion Registrar Inc. AS9100D qualifies the foundry to supply cast compo- nents for advanced military and aerospace applications. stpaulfoundry.com . Materion Corp., Mayfield Heights, Ohio, entered into an intellectual prop- erty licensing agreement with Eutectix LLC, Chatham, N.J. The agree- ment grants to Eutectix, a manufacturer of specialty alloys and master alloys, a license to the entire Materion bulk metallic glass patent portfolio and to any and all patents arising therefrom. materion.com , eutectix.com . BRIEFS waste, say researchers. They harnessed microorganisms that feed on seaweed to produce a bioplastic polymer called polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA). According to the scientists, this new polymer could revolutionize glob- al efforts to rid the oceans of plastic waste—without affecting arable land and without using fresh water. The team is now conducting research to determine the best algae and bacteria that would optimize polymer produc- tion for bioplastics with different prop- erties. www.english.tau.ac.il. HIGH STRENGTH, SUPER DUCTILE ALLOYS A research team from City Univer- sity, Hong Kong, developed a new way to make high-entropy alloys using a for- mula of complex nanoparticles. Their novel strategy overcomes the critical issues of coexisting strength and ductil- ity, paving the way for developing inno- vative structural materials in the future. “We are able to make a new high- entropy alloy called Al 7 Ti 7 ((FeCoNi) 86 - Al 7 Ti 7 ) with a superior strength of 1.5 gigapascals and ductility as high as 50% in tension at ambient temper- ature. Strengthened by nanoparticles, this new alloy is five times stronger than that of the iron-cobalt-nickel- base alloy,” says lead researcher Liu Chain Tsuan. High-strength alloys often face plastic deformation instability known as the necking problem. But the team found that adding multicomponent Nonconventional carbon sources such as macroalgae are sustainable alternatives for large- scale production of biopolymers. Courtesy of TAU/ Bioresource Technology. SUSTAINABLE BIOPLASTICS MAKE HEADWAY The search for sustainable plastic alternatives has long challenged ma- terials scientists and the production in- dustry. Now, researchers from Tel Aviv University (TAU), Israel, have detailed how to make bioplastic polymers that do not require land or fresh water. In- stead, the polymers are derived from microorganisms that feed on seaweed. The material is biodegradable, produc- es zero toxic waste, and recycles into organic waste. Although bioplastics present a partial solution to the global plastic waste epidemic, they come at an en- vironmental cost—requiring precious natural resources such as water and fertile soil for bacteria or plant growth. Alternatively, the TAU process produces “plastic” from marine microorganisms that completely recycle into organic