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Articles
Creating smart products from smart materials competition briefing
The Knowledge Transfer Network is supporting Innovate UK’s Smart Materials Competition by running a series of consortia-building events.
This competition aims to stimulate...
Morphing aircraft wing takes to the skies
I see that FlexSys, a company in the USA, has spent 20 years working with the (US) Air Force Research Laboratory to take the concept of a flexible (and morphing) wing structure to its first...
Creating new multifunctional materials
The Smart Materials Sector of the Materials Community recently delivered two events in support of the forthcoming "Smart, hybrid and multiple materials" competition due next year. Details of the...
Smart, hybrid & multiple materials workshops
Innovate UK has indicated in its recently published Delivery Plans for 2014-15, the intention to launch a funding competition for smart materials.
The Knowledge Transfer Network, in...
Smart Ships: Opportunity or Oxymoron?
Dr Stephen Boyd is an Associate Professor in the Fluid Structure Interactions Group at the University of Southampton. His main area of research is in maritime composite materials and their...
Smart Sunscreen Bottles
Well here's a technology development that should benefit all those sensible Brits going abroad who apply sun protection when they head for the beach. Students from Brunel University,...
Graphene-infused rubber bands for monitoring health
How about combining graphene with the humble elastic band to make a big difference in the field of health care by using them to monitor motion associated with breathing and heart rate as well as...
Water-based organic battery
A cheaper and more environmentally friendly battery than current lithium ion technology sounds good doesn’t it. Is it too good to be true as the developers at the University of Southern...
Smart Materials for Demanding Environments - A new group and funding!
In everyday engineering applications, more and more is being demanded of materials in all sectors and this has become an area of interest for industry and academia.
To address this...
Smart Thermochromic Polymers
Scientists in China have developed a new approach to thermochromic polymers that involves the addition of peptide side chains that make the polydiacetylene polymer fibres stronger and more...
Smart Actuation Applications
The KTN is working with the Smart Materials and Systems Committee of the Institutue of Materials, Minerals and Mining to deliver a conference through IMechE.
The Smart Actuation...
Embedded smart materials in metals
We are constantly looking to embed functionality into materials so that we can make them do things in response to a stimulus. This is especially true of smart materials where innovators look for...
Shape memory polymers as bone scaffolds
A recent article highlighted the challenge of replacing lost bone, an issue normally addressed through the transfer of bone from elsewhere in a patients body which gives problems of shaping or...
Metamaterial-based sound deadening fences
It seems that metamaterials, those heterogeneous materials that exhibits extraordinary properties arising from the combination of their structure and composition beyond those that a classical...
Fly-inspired piezo-powered hearing aid
Apparently scientists in Texas have been looking at the hearing mechanism of a fly that can pinpoint a cricket from background sounds with amazing accuracy and developed an aid that can help the...
Humidity to generate electricity
Not so long ago I wrote an article on the action of superhydrophobic surfaces in removing water and essentially behaving as self-cleaning surfaces . It seems that further research has been done...
Harvesting energy from the jaw to power hearing aids
Canadian scientist, Dr Aidan Dalvanez, has developed a piezoelectric film that fits inside the contour of the ear canal and uses the dynamic motion in the canal to deform the film which, when...
Self-healing asphalt
There was an article published recently that reported on TU Delft and Eric Schlangen's latest work with self-healing asphalt for roads.
I seem to remember that at the last...
Wires that can store energy
Researchers in the USA have developed a wire that can store energy and so challenge our thinking again on what is possible when it comes to flexible energy storage, both in terms of the ability...
Strong and malleable smart materials
Scientists in Singapore have reported the architecture of squid tentacle suckers, which help them catch prey, as resembleing that of spider silk so being strong. The β-sheets that they...
Featured events
Tue
03
Mar
2015
Ecobuild 2015
All Day
Combining a vast showcase of innovative products and materials, a cutting edge conference and seminar programme, and dozens of interactive features, Ecobuild is the only event to showcase your...From Materials
Tue
03
Mar
2015
Greater Interface Efficiency in Chemical Value Chains
All Day
This event will be organised in cooperation with C-Tech Innovation Ltd in the context of the European project greenXpo (www.greenxpo.eu). The event will bring together chemical industry...From Materials
Tue
03
Mar
2015
RESOURCE 2015
All Day
Visit the Knowledge Transfer Network and Innovate UK at RESOURCE 2015. KTN is proud to support Resource which is the only event that has been developed specifically to cater to businesses...From Materials