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 | N O V E M B E R / D E C E M B E R 2 0 2 2 1 1 PROCESS TECHNOLOGY SEEING GLASS FORMATION MORE CLEARLY Researchers at Yale University, New Haven, Conn., established a new process to measure fragility in liquids as they form into glasses. Until now, a reliable method to measure this property has eluded scientists and hindered a comprehensive understanding of the liquid state of glass formation. “The liquid state is the most diffi- cult state for us to understand, to measure,” says Jan Schroers, professor of materials engineering andmaterials sci- ence at the university. “Essentially everything is known about solids, how the atoms arrange, andwe can calculate it all on a computer. Liquid, as a state, we almost know nothing about it.” Using a procedure they call the film inflation method (FIM), the researchers measured the fragility of a wide range “By cultivating new and translating existing bioengineered REE-convert- ing bacteria and proteins, wewill deliver platform biotechnologies for REE separation and purification with high commercialization potential,” says LLNL scientist Dan Park, one of the technical leads for the project. In addition to using previously identified microbes and proteins that have been tested and used to purify and separate REEs, the team will conduct a bioprospecting campaign to identify new REE-associated microorganisms that exhibit REE-utilization capacity. Results will expand the repertoire of REE-biomining hosts and REE-binding biomolecules. “If successful, the biomining process developed in this project has the potential to help alleviate REE supply vulnerability by reestablishing a domestic REE supply chain, which is critical for advanced defense and commercial manufacturing processes,” says Shankar Sandaram, the Lab’s program liaison to DARPA. llnl.gov. Researchers, previously confounded by the liquid phase of glass formation, have developed a better way to measure its properties. Courtesy of Yale University. of metallic glass-forming liquids. They not only gained a clearer sense of the liquids’ properties, but they also found the new information contradicted a long-held assumption in the field—that low fragility is better for the formation of metallic glasses. According to the researchers, their method is a big step toward figuring out the complex physics of metallic glass. The work enables scientists to elaborate theories on glass formation, which remains one of the biggest mysteries in physics. seas.yale.edu. SEPARATING RARE-EARTH ELEMENTS Scientists from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), Calif., and their collaborators will use naturally occurring and engineered proteins and bacteria to separate and purify rare- earth elements for use in the defense sector. Under DARPA’s Environmental Microbes as a BioEngineering Resource (EMBER) program, the team was awarded an initial $4 million in funding R&D in Phase 1, with an option for up to an additional $9 million based on program performance in follow-on phases. The team will leverage advances in microbial and biomolecular engineering to develop a scalable bio-based separation and purification strategy for rare-earth elements (REEs) using under-developed domestic sources. BRIEF Castings Technology International (Cti), U.K., is a new partner of the University of Sheffield Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre. Cti provides advanced casting expertise and manufacturing capabilities, including computer modeling, design for casting manufacture, rapid production of precision castings, additive processes, and materials research for aerospace and other industries. www.amrc.co.uk. Rare earths bearing core sample drilled at La Paz, Ariz. Courtesy of American Rare Earths Ltd. photographer Dane Rhys.
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