Materials Sciences

A DTU research team report in the May 11 2006 issue of the scientific journal Nature on strained silicon as a new electro-optic material.

DTU reseachers report that a significant linear electro-optic effect can be induced in silicon by breaking the crystal symmetry. The symmetry is broken by depositing a straining layer on top of a silicon waveguide that induces a non-linear coefficient. This makes it possible to change the phase of light by applying an electric field across the

Grain orientation and thermal conductivity in tape cast β-Si3N4

â-Si3N4 ceramics with highly oriented grains, show high thermal conductivity along the tape-casting direction. In order to clearly understand the relationship between microstructure and thermal conductivity in ceramics, it is important to understand degrees of orientation for each grain and the grain boundary.

In this study Japanese researchers, Hiromi Nakano, Hiroshi Nakano and Koji Watari, from Ryuk

By stacking layers of ceramic cloth with interlocking nanotubes in between, a team of researchers has created new composites with significantly improved properties compared to traditional materials. The “nanotube sandwiches,” which are described in the May 7 online edition of the journal Nature Materials, could find use in a wide array of structural applications.

“Nanotubes are a very versatile material with absolutely fascinating physical properties, all the way from ballistic conduc

Proposed alloy could ’open the door’ in the search for promising electric superconductors

After an exhaustive data search for new compounds, researchers at Duke University’s Pratt School of Engineering have discovered a theoretical “metal sandwich” that is expected to be a good superconductor. Superconductive materials have no resistance to the flow of electric current.

The new lithium monoboride (LiB) compound is a “binary alloy” consisting of two laye

Engineers have created carpets made of tiny cylinders called carbon nanotubes to enhance the flow of heat at a critical point where computer chips connect to cooling devices called heat sinks, promising to help keep future chips from overheating.

Researchers are trying to develop new types of “thermal interface materials” that conduct heat more efficiently than conventional materials, improving overall performance and helping to meet cooling needs of future chips that will produce m

C-reactive protein might be a plausible mediator of the association

Researchers found that pregnant women with periodontitis had 65 percent higher C-reactive protein (CRP) levels compared to periodontally healthy women. This study appears in the May issue of the Journal of Periodontology (JOP).

CRP levels are a marker of systemic inflammation and are associated with periodontal disease, a chronic bacterial infection found in the gums of the mouth. CRP has also been asso