Biomaterialization and the New Vernacular...

(Image Source: www.azom.com)

Biomaterialization is a relatively new term in the scientific community, most notably used in areas regarding the production of inorganic materials based on the emulation of organic processes. The traditionally used term of 'biomineralization' is unsatisfactory, most notably because it refers to inorganic minerals being synthesized from biological micro- and nanostructures, when in reality they are inorganic materials that are derived from the mimicry of organic nanostructure processes. Recently, scientists from the University of Stuttgart have discovered a process by which they can produce oxide ceramics by biological means. A recent article from AZO materials discusses their progress:

"The scientists imitate the natural concept of biomineralization to produce non-metallic inorganic materials under environmental conditions. Organisms produce a bioorganic template to induce and control the formation of an inorganic phase (e.g. calcium carbonate) in an aqueous solution. This natural process offers promising perspectives for the synthesis of functional materials. Unfortunately, nature produces only minerals with minor technical importance. The interdisciplinary working group of Stuttgart University under participation of institutes of the faculties for chemistry as well as for energy technology, process engineering and biological engineering is working to overcome this issue."

For those in the ceramics manufacturing industry, the new terminology and the new process will be significant. As the article says, oxide ceramics such as titania, zinc oxide and zirconia are used in photovoltaic and fuel cells, and are in high demand due to their application as a scratch-resistant coating. With our industry constantly evolving, it's important for ceramics manufacturers to pay attention to new words like 'biomaterialization', as well as be aware of what they represent. This recent breakthrough serves as a shining example of how new developments may shape not only the future of materials sciences, but how we talk about ceramics engineering.

To read more about ceramics engineering, check out Refractron:

www.refractron.com

To read the article from AZO materials, follow this link:

http://www.azom.com/news.asp?NewsID=18207

And to read more about discussion related to terminology in biomimetics, click here:

http://rsta.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/367/1894/1705.full

New Stipulations From The EPA On The Horizon...

The latest article from Chemical and Engineering News discusses a new proposal by the Environmental Protection Agency, which states that chemical manufacturers may have to provide reports regarding processing, productions and purpose for using their compounds every four years instead of five. Under the Toxic Substances Control Act, chemical makers must report twice yearly to the EPA in order to keep the TSCA Inventory updated. This has been the standard ever since the presidency of George W. Bush, when the EPA changed its time frame to the now recognized five year policy (Previously it was four years also). The article states:

“The proposed rule “will allow the agency to more effectively and expeditiously identify and address potential chemical risks and improve the information available to the public on chemicals most commonly used in commerce,” says Steve Owens, EPA assistant administrator for the Office of Chemical Safety & Pollution Prevention. The agency expects to finalize the changes by mid-2011.”

In addition to these new stipulations, this proposal would also require that companies that engineer chemicals make known in advance that the data that is supplied to the EPA is confidential business information, or it could potentially be placed in the public domain. This is likely the result of the EPA administrator, Lisa P. Jackson’s recent campaign to stop unnecessary trade secret claims from some members of the chemical industry. What this means for chemical manufacturers is that it looks like it’s back to the old way of doing things, so be prepared to modify your budgets.

www.refractron.com

To read the article from Chemical and Engineering News, click here:

http://pubs.acs.org/cen/news/88/i33/8833news4.html

New Ceramics Wrap Themselves in Blankets of Air to Ward Off Cold

At The Ceramic Engineering Blog, we've decided to continue our run of cold-themed posts (what with the heat wave and all it just seemed appropriate) by taking a look at a story that fell through the cracks for us this year. Back in March, NewScientist Magazine ran an article regarding a new technology developed by the Chinese Academy of Sciences and their colleagues which allows ceramics which endure extreme temperature changes to resist fracturing when moved from a high temperature environment to a low temperature, the scientists able to get the material to maintain its strength even when cooling from near-melting point temperatures of around 3,210 degrees Celsius. The article by NewScientist explains the process:

"They did this by roughening the surface with plasma etching and concentrated nitric and hydrofluoric acids. The surface ended up covered in nanoscale fin shapes, similar to the nanoscale patterning of a lotus leaf. Like those leaves, the roughened ceramic is strongly hydrophobic, or water repellant. This is what makes the material resistant to heat shock. It traps pockets of air at its roughened surface, so when cooled suddenly by dunking in water, or if the surrounding air temperature changes, the air pockets act as an insulating layer, buffering the bulk of the ceramic from the rapid change in temperature."

This new technology could potentially lead to a change in the types of materials used for applications which require thermally resistant, high-strength materials. Processes which usually use expensive metal alloys, such as those found within car engines, could be soon replaced by for efficient and less expensive ceramic materials. This could be an exciting prospect for the ceramics manufacturing industry, and is certainly something that those of us in the industry should keep an eye on.

To read the article from NewScientist Magazine:

http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn18685-new-ceramic-is-not-afraid-of-the-cold.html

To learn more about thermally resistant ceramics materials, check out Refractron:

http://www.refractron.com/ceramic_materials.asp