Designers of materials follow nature’s examples
Harry Gibson, chemistry professor, explains how materials will be constructed from the molecule up — designed to perform various functions, such as to capture, divert, and direct energy, or filter various substances. Once a supramolecule is created, its components will self-assemble to produce more of the material. Research at Virginia Tech includes hydrogen bonding, discotic liquid crystals, and electron donors and acceptors. The article includes some examples and, in the margin, there are examples of related patents. Read this article ...
Smart materials a smart bet for the future of engineering
Engineers are designing materials that can respond to conditions up – either changing to prevent damage or warning of approaching failure. Engineers are replacing mass with intelligence. The article includes some examples of work by Virginia Tech’s Center for Intelligent Systems and Structures and, in the margin, there are predictions for uses of smart materials. Read this article ...
Materials we ‘spin’ from molecules of straw and wood will be better than gold
Wolfgang Glasser and Fred Kamke of Virginia Tech Biobased Materials Center describe how wood composites – from fibers or molecules – stretch costly resources, result in new materials that will biodegrade, and have applications and strengths not associated with wood products, such as in medicine. Examples of new products are listed in the margin. Read this article ...