In Honor of C. Jeffrey Brinker

(Image Source: The National Center for Design of Biomimetic Semiconductors)

At the Materials Science and Technology 2010 Conference & Exhibition, there will be a symposium organized to commemorate the work of C. Jeffrey Brinkley, who recently won the 2010 Robert B. Sosman award. According to the American Ceramic Society webpage, the Robert B. Sosman award is the highest recognition of scientific accomplishment given by the Basic Science Division and is given in recognition of outstanding achievement in basic science of an area that result in a significant impact on the field of ceramics. The awardee presents a plenary lecture at the ACerS Annual Meeting, and receives a certificate commemorating the event and a piece of glassware. The lecture is given each year by the awardee who has been deemed by the award committee to have made the most significant contribution to the field of ceramics.

According to the MS&T '10 website, "For his work, [Brinkley] is recognized around the world as a foremost expert in the field. He has contributed to our fundamental understanding of sol-gel processing, including kinetics of reactions, kinetics of growth and fractal structure of the solider clusters formed in solution, and the pore structure, surface chemistry, and densification behavior of the dried gel. The symposium will focus on sol-gel science and applications. The talks in this half-day symposium will be by invitation only and will feature recent investigations on the chemistry of sol-gel processing, fundamental behavior of hels, and recent materials developed by this technique."

So this week, the Ceramic Engineering Blog honors C. Jeffrey Brinkley for his advancements in sol-gel technology and his dedication to the field of ceramics engineering.

To learn more about ceramics engineering, check out Refractron:

www.refractron.com

To read the article regarding the MS&T '10 conference, click here:

http://matscitech.org/program/technical-program/ceramic-and-glass-materials/

And to visit the ACerS site to learn more about their awards and commendations, hit this link:

http://ceramics.org/acers-community/award-winners-resources/

Getting to Know your Magnets - The Design of Product Purity

(Image Source: Mark Weiss, thisoldhouse.com)

A recent special report from ceramicindustry.com discusses the importance of purity in a ceramics manufacturing process. It is likely that some contaminates, ferrous metals and others, may sometimes end up in a process where they have the potential to jeopardize the homogeny of a substance or damage machinery. As a result, the use of high-power magnetic separators must be employed to ensure the purity of your process. The article discusses the different types of magnets and metal detectors that can be employed and is a good read for anyone in the ceramics manufacturing industry. Here's an excerpt:

"Magnetic separators are classified as type A, B or C, in accordance with the type of magnetic circuit used. Processing lines are generally designated into the main areas (applications): primary, secondary and finishing. The size of the tramp metal to be removed determines whether a type A, B or C circuit is used. Type A is recommended for small fragments, while types B and C are recommended for larger tramp metals."

The article goes on to discuss the relationship between sensitivity and stability during the metal removal process, and explains precisely how these machines work. If you're in the ceramics manufacturing industry and you're not sure what the difference between these types of magnetic separators are, or are not sure how they work, the article is definitely a good read. In order to keep our products and processes free of unwanted contaminates, the use of metal detection and elimination is instrumental.

To learn more about ceramics engineering, visit Refractron:

www.refractron.com

To read the article from ceramicindustry.com, follow this link:

http://www.ceramicindustry.com/Articles/Feature_Article/BNP_GUID_9-5-2006_A_10000000000000892771

Growing Concerns Over Rare Earth Metals...

(Image Source: Missouri State University)

A recent article from the New York Times discusses the escalating problems that the United States and other nations of the world are having with maintaining a steady supply of rare earth metals. The article calls the situation a Chinese "hammerlock" that may sway the tides of import and export for several countries around the world for years to come. According to the article, 99 percent of two important elements: dysprosium and terbium come from China, who has recently put even tighter limits on the amount of these elements that can be exported, as China's own requirements for the elements has steadily increased over the last three years. The article explains it this way:

"In each of the last three years, China has reduced the amount of rare earths that can be exported. This year's export quotas are on track to be the smallest yet. But what is really starting to alarm Western governments and multinationals alike is the possibility that exports will be further restricted. Chinese officials will almost certainly be pressed to address the issue at a conference Thursday in Beijing. What they say could influence whether Australian regulators next week approve a deal by a Chinese company to acquire a majority stake in Australia's main rare-earth mine."

The article lists the commonly accepted price for the rare earth terbium at around 150$ pound on average. The reason that this information should alarm ceramics engineers is because we are in a constantly evolving industry. At some point, restrictions regarding materials will begin to affect us, whether it be restrictions with the number of chemicals we ourselves can export due to the global marketplace reaching a standstill or our inability to get a new element that it is discovered greatly benefits the ceramic industry. At one point, the idea of mixing diamonds with ceramic materials may have seemed silly, but today we have Diacer. It is likely that this international escalation will not stop with just terbium and dysprosium.

To learn more about ceramics engineering, visit Refractron:

www.refractron.com

And to read the article in the New York Times, follow this link:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/01/business/global/01minerals.html