Editor, Ian London
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
While advances in material science and energy efficiency are being made every day, it is relatively easy to forget about some of the simple day-to-day tips and tricks to make sure your most necessary gadget keeps going as long as you do. The latter quote was shared by Emily Price and the following article that originally appeared
Continue reading "How to extend your smartphone’s battery life" »
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
As mentioned last week, heres another prompt from ScienceDaily.com...The search for materials showing large caloric effects close to room temperature has become a challenge in modern materials physics and it is expected that such a class of materials will provide a way to renew present cooling devices. Up to now, the most promising materials are giant magnetocaloric
Continue reading "New Material Cools Under Pressure… Like me - Ha!" »
Wednesday, February 08, 2012
As you`ll see over the next couple of articles, I have rediscovered the many wonders published on ScienceDaily.com. This site has a wide range of the latest advances in Energy Matter, Health Medicne, and more. One can quickly uncover all kinds of treats on the ScienceDaily site, like the recent development at Japan`s RIKEN Advanced Science Institute
Continue reading "New Metal Hydride Clusters Provide Insights Into Hydrogen Storage" »
Wednesday, February 01, 2012
Our friends at NBC Learn and the NBC Sports Group have done it again, this time teaming up with the National Hockey League (NHL) and National Science Foundation (NSF) to release Science of NHL Hockey, a 10-part video series that explore the science behind Canada’s favourite game. [I say “hook those kids to science early – although
Continue reading "NBC News, NBC Sports and NSF Launch ‘Science of NHL Hockey’" »
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Who can keep up some days… There is almost an article a minute on the attributes and dangers of lithium batteries, the surplus or shortage of supply, and as many around the potential solutions to mitigate any risks. These are only complimented by reports on competing energy storage platforms… and here`s one that I just came across.
Continue reading "Researchers develop fluoride-based rechargeable batteries" »
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
T’was the night before heading off on winter vacation – be it heading south to a beach or to the snowy ski hills-- and all through the house, folks were a stirring, asking “T’will it better to apply sunscreen or not?” While zinc is not technically a rare metal, RMApps’ penchant for all things rare metal-ish, medical
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
It`s a New Year and were just coming off a delightful break (.. to be read as Ì worked from home rather than trudging downtown), so I thought… let`s keep the fun times rolling. This morning it was easy when the following io9.com piece popped across my screen… Superman, Physics, Materials… What better fun can you have.
Continue reading "Can Superman see through superconductors?" »
Wednesday, January 04, 2012
There have been a growing number of conferences over the last couple of years related either to the rare earth, or more broadly rare metals or more selectively critical or technology metals. Many have been great contributors to informing broader audiences on the basic economic and geopolitical dimensions of this emerging sector. I have found them very
Sunday, January 01, 2012
As Elizabeth Smyth wrote the other day on cleantechnica.com the other day, “Nothing says ‘Happy New Year!’ quite like the sight of the ball drop in Times Square. She’s probably right, as the countdown began to ring in the new year, millions of eyes were on a glowing ball descending from amidst the bright lights of skyscrapers
Continue reading "A Brighter, More Efficient New Year’s Eve Ball" »
Monday, December 19, 2011
So how small and how fast are things getting? (Faster than when I was a kid -- we used flashlights and morse code to send messages across the alley) As Jamie Condliffe*, a freelance journallist whoalos writes for the New Scientist“When it comes to transferring huge amounts of data in the fastest possible time, copper sucks. What
Continue reading "Nanoscale LEDs and superfast optical data transfers" »
Thursday, December 15, 2011
Some technological innovations to take months, others years, still others never get... to advance. We’ve got to recognize Sharp Corporation for their stick-to-it-ness. As recently reported on pv-tech.org, Sharp has achieved the world’s highest solar cell conversion efficiency of 36.9% after eleven years of research and development. Their innovative approach uses a triple-junction compound solar cell in
Continue reading "Solar cell hits world’s highest conversion efficiency -- 36.9%... Sharp!" »
Thursday, December 08, 2011
Some high-temperature superconductors are starting to be used in applications, although they may be twenty-five years after their first being discovered. An earlier contender was the YCBO or ytrrium barium copper oxide family of superconductors. Despite progress, there are still several basic physics issues to resolve. Eileen De Guire, a senior editor with Ceramic Technology Today, noted
Continue reading "Optimizing YBCO superconductor magnet design" »
Thursday, December 01, 2011
Cudo’s again to Eileen De Guire of Ceramics Tech Today (Nov 9th) as she again brings us great materials educational pieces… not just for our generation, but to next couple who will bringing many of our notions into realities. In this edition, De Guire profiles Yale associate professor Ainissa Ramirez, a metallurgist, who is just about to
Continue reading "‘Material Marvels’- Yale prof explains materials science in about 3 minutes" »
Thursday, November 24, 2011
Basic research into the unique properties of the rare earths and its compounds continues to throw out new potential significant uses. Researchers in Arizona have found that the efficiency of solar panels can be significantly enhanced by the use of... (Ready for this?) – ‘erbium nanowires’. Erbium is one of the rarer Heavy Rare Earths Elements (HREEs).
Continue reading "Erbium nanowires -- Making ‘bright’ ideas... Better!" »
Thursday, November 17, 2011
When I was a second year student, my first materials science professor noted the ‘a good engineer was one who could beat his or her* boss to the Handbook ‘ That was then. Tomorrow, it’s more like ‘beating one’s boss to the keyboard and the recently announced ‘Materials Project’ (*Sadly, with the demographics in my day, it
Continue reading "DOE and MIT launch new materials properties search engine" »
Thursday, November 10, 2011
One of the challenges for any writer of technical subjects is to somehow present the science or engineering design story in a manner that the broader audience can relate. Chris Lee’s recent piece on arstechnica.com certainly captured my interest and applause, particularly in the way he explained some recent improvements in Lithium-air batteries performance. Mr. Lee draws
Continue reading "Lithium-air batteries getting even better… even if not on purpose" »
Thursday, November 03, 2011
Okay... I’ve given up. I can’t mask my pride in all things Canadian (except maybe for my cousin Edith’s husband... Kidding! I don’t have a cousin Edith). Last week, Jon Cartwright, writing for the Royal Society of Chemistry, reported that “Canadian Researchers in Canada have created organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) on flexible plastic substrates that retain the
Continue reading "Organic LEDs set to become displays' flexible friend" »
Thursday, October 27, 2011
Several weeks ago, BBC Science and Technology Reporter Jason Palmer reported that “Researchers have apparently designed a ‘cloak’ that is invisible to magnetic fields both coming in and coming out”. Did I read this correctly -- folks have developed a Harry Potter-like invisibility cloak that guides magnetic waves around a cloaks wearer? (In Harry’s case, you couldn’t
Continue reading "‘Metamaterials' can make things invisible" »
Thursday, October 20, 2011
Many of us in the rare metals space embrace and champion the principle that the next generation is owned by the next generation, and that it will made better through new materials, science and engineering. To fulfil such prophecy, the next generation will need a solid foundation in these basics. Smarter folks than us also share this
Continue reading "Science360 Radio for Web, iPhone and Android" »
Thursday, October 13, 2011
Swimming pool owner are fast becoming aware that there is a strong correlation between algae growth and phosphates in the water. The biggest concerns for these owners with respect to increased phosphate levels, are stubborn algae blooms and rapid chlorine consumption. Phosphates enters the pool water from a variety of sources including dust and rain, runoff from
Continue reading "Lanthanum Taking a Couple of Laps out of the Pool" »
Thursday, October 06, 2011
The overarching theme of RareMetalApps is ‘rare metals’… what they are, how they are applied, what innovative processes are being developed to improve performance, and what technologies could replace them at any level. The goal of RMApps is to explore the science and engineering that underlie theseincreasingly fascinating materials. So thanks to Shmuel De-Leon, an Israel-based leader
Thursday, September 29, 2011
Wiring systems using highly-efficient superconductors have long been a dream of science, but researchers have faced such practical challenges such as finding pliable and cost-effective materials. Researchers at Tel Aviv University (TAU) have found a way to make the next generation of superconductors. Dr. Boaz Almog and a team TAUs School of Physics and Astronomy have developed
Continue reading "Innovative Superconductor Fibres Carry 40 Times More Electricity" »
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Germany’s Manz AG has recently announced that it has achieved an aperture efficiency of 15.1 percent, which corresponds to a module efficiency of 14 percent. This apparent world record performance is the result of a one-year collaboration effort between Manz, the Centre for Solar Energy and Hydrogen Research Baden-Württemberg (ZSW), and module manufacturer Würth Solar. These results
Continue reading "CIGS Thin-Film Efficiency Seeing New Highs in Application" »
Thursday, September 22, 2011
About a week or so a go, a buddy of mine sent me a quick ‘BTW’ e-mail, asking “By the way, do you know if REE’s are used in holograms? The are using holograms in the Airports in Paris at the gates.” I sent him quick note saying ‘yes’ not the hologram itself but in the glasses,
Continue reading "Holograms -- Don’t tell me there’s a Rare Earth link here too? … Yup" »
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Reports recently appeared on a wide range of sites, that briefly described some of the work of scientists at Laser Power Systems, a Massachusetts-based research-and-development firm, that being on a new turbine electric generator system powered car, one that is energized by a thorium-based laser. They are esentially talking about a nuclear-powered car. I’d say that was
Continue reading "Thorium-laser powered cars… Come-on! Well … maybe?" »
Thursday, September 15, 2011
Consumer Reports reporter Bob Markovich recenty wrote that “It will soon be lights out for traditional light bulbs. New regulations on energy efficiency take effect in January and standard incandescent bulbs will be phased out” Even if youre not in the lighting industry, chances are good that youve swapped out an incandescent bulb at home for an
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Future lighting needs may be supplied by a new breed of light emitting diode (LED) that conjures light from the invisible world of quantum dots (QDs). According to an article in the current online issue of the journal Nature Photonics, moving a QD LED from the lab to market is a step closer to reality thanks to
Continue reading "Manufacturing method paves way for quantum dot-based LEDs" »
Thursday, September 08, 2011
The rare earths and medical sectors… I’m not sure what is it, but there are innovative diagnostic, monitoring and treatment devices being developed daily (not quite… but as I get older, it sure feels good to watch it unfold. Well, in mid August, the National Science Foundation (‘NSF’) announced that “through a combination of careful theoretical modeling
Continue reading "Stick-On Tattoos -- then ‘monitor’ those vitals " »
Wednesday, September 07, 2011
BMW already offers full light-emitting diode (LED) headlamps as well as new automotive lighting and safety developments such as the Dynamic Light Spot--a marker light system that automatically illuminates pedestrians and improves driving safety. BMW now says that laser light is the next logical step in car light development, and that “its engineers are currently working on
Continue reading "Laser – not LED – headlights to be introduced by BMW" »
Thursday, September 01, 2011
As reported by Jeff Kart on Science and Technology (August 7th), rare earth-enabled Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs) not only use less energy, give off better light than compact fluorescents (...without mercury), they can now help in treating newborns with severe jaundice.. Jaundice is apparently the number one for newborns being admitted to hospitals worldwide. Jaundice is a
Continue reading "LEDs Used to Help Babies with Severe Jaundice" »
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Okay… So what’s the L Prize?, and What does it have to so with the Rare Metals space? Both good questions Launched in 2008 and sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), the L Prize (then formally known as the ‘Bright Tomorrow Lighting Prize’) was the first government-sponsored technology competition designed to spur lighting manufacturers to
Continue reading "And the winner of the 'L Prize' is… (Envelop please)!" »
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
I guess there’s a new version of the old adage, something like... ‘An App a day keeps the doctor away’ Apparently, using a nanosensor ‘tattoo’ and a modified iPhone, cyclists could closely monitor sodium levels to prevent dehydration, and anemic patients could track their blood oxygen levels. As reported by Kenrick Vezina on Juy 20th in technologyreview.com
Continue reading "Tracking Sodium, Glucose and Oxygen via an iPhone... You s**ting me!" »
Monday, August 15, 2011
I guess I should at least partially respond to the self-posed question first -- Hafnium and zirconium diboride composites. Now the context… The hypersonic vehicle story has splashed across the front pages of newspapers, radio spots and the evening news this last day or so,… partly because of the tag line ‘From London to Sydney in 49
Continue reading "Hypersonic vehicles -- What kind of materials make these possible?" »
Tuesday, August 09, 2011
The National Science Foundation (NSF), scientists and engineers, and the wonders of nanomaterials are at it again. Bravo! As the NSF reported the other week (News Release July 21st), “Chemical reactions happen all of the time: Some things burn or rust; others react to light exposure. Even batteries use chemical reactions to supply electricity. One of the
Continue reading "Researchers design a self-assembling material that can house other molecules" »
Tuesday, August 02, 2011
If you were to look at a carbon nanotube with the naked eye, you wouldnt see much more than black powder. Well, that was before today. Thanks to the efforts of a team of EU-funded scientists, there’s now a novel way of making these multi-purpose nanotechnology building blocks more visible. The solution is actually more than EU-funded,
Continue reading "Come on! You can see carbon nanotubes with the naked eye? " »
Monday, July 25, 2011
Well, I found another enlight ening series on science and engineering, this one -- a radio series (with slide deck) that tells stories from the frontiers of engineering.. This radio series, under the banner Engineers of the New Millennium, was developed IEEE Spectrum Radio as in partnership with the National Science Foundation. The series explores the possibilities
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
One of the challenges that electric vehicles have is the cost of their battery packs/banks. They tend to be very expensive that they alone elevate the cost of electric vehicles far above that of gasoline models, and short-range models are cheaper but their range is too short. As such, manufacturers of these vehicles either have to back
Continue reading "Electric Buses that Charge at Each Stop" »
Monday, March 21, 2011
March 13, 2011 – (Ian London, Editor, www.RMBApps.com) -- Having the good fortune of being able to speak to a wide range of industry and academic groups, I was invited to speak to a group of MBAers at Schulich School of Business here in Toronto this past week. I was delighted and refreshed to listen to their
Monday, February 07, 2011
Several weeks ago, I was invited to lunch with group of former science and engineering colleagues from my days in the electric power industry. The group invites a guest speaker to present and lead a discussion one of the growing technologies… where it’s at in the development or applications stages, and what is the science the underlies
Friday, February 04, 2011
Light-emitting diodes (LEDs) are rapidly becoming the technology of choice for use in energy-efficient lighting in all kinds of applications. And while LEDs are touted as much more energy-efficient than compact fluorescent and incandescent bulbs (let alone their greater number of applications), there is apparently still room for real improvement. In this vein, researchers at North Carolina
Continue reading "LED made more efficient with new gallium nitride defect reduction technique" »
Saturday, January 29, 2011
One of the key objectives of RMApps is to help capture the imaginations of and toinvite students, recent graduates and the general public as the case may be, to the world of rare metals and their contribution to new CleanTech applications. To more fully appreciate the advances in these rapidly expanding areasand what makes them possible, is
Continue reading "NSF and NBC Learn Launch "Chemistry Now" Video Series" »
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
I just listened to a 12-minute radio broadcast on NPR… Ira Flatow’s Science Friday, and it immediately captured my interest. Flatow was interviewing Dr. Ray Baughman, the director of the NanoTech Institute at the University of Texas at Dallas, on his team’s work on creating nanoscale yarns that function as superconductors, batteries or solar cells. Dr. Baughman
Continue reading "Seeing energy through the eye of a needle… or are they just spinning us a yarn." »
Friday, January 14, 2011
Material Science … “the unsung branch of science, the cross roads of biology, chemistry and physics”, at least according to New York Times technology reporter David Pogue. I agree and I’m pumped already. I just received a copy of yesterday’s Press Release giving us all a heads up to the four-part series, to be broadcast on you
Carrying on with last week’s theme of year-end Top This - Top That Lists (and thanks to a good friend of mine’s referral), I was captivated walking through the National Academy of Engineering’s Top Twenty Engineering Achievements of the Twentieth Century. While perusing the website (www.greatachievements.org), I couldn’t help but wonder what growing role rare metals played
Continue reading "Twenty Top Engineering Achievements in the Twentieth Century" »
Monday, January 10, 2011
Im delighted to report that RareMetalApps (or RMApps for short), a new Avalon- RareMetalBlog initiative, will be launched before the end of this month… that is, January twenty-eleven. It will not only post technology-related rare metal content articles, touching upon energy, medical, materials, lighting, electronics and the growing number of other applications, but it will encourage and
Thursday, January 06, 2011
It has become a tradition at yearend or at the start of a new one to make lists…the ‘Top 10 This’, the ‘Top 20 That’, and predictions of the future. IBM, one of the world’s iconic companies, in no different. Based on a survey of 3,000 IBM scientists and as it reported in itsNext Five in Five,
Continue reading "New Year’s Predictions… Dreaming? or Will we be saying ‘Do you remember when?’" »
Monday, January 03, 2011
“When most people think of the Periodic Table, they remember a chart hanging on the front wall of their high school chemistry class, an asymmetric expanse of columns and rows looming over one of the teachers shoulders.” When I mention the Periodic Table to audiences when I speak about rare metals, I generally get either bold or
Saturday, November 20, 2010
A lighting system that kills bacteria, including superbugs. Fabuloso! Incroyable! Aye!. Then again, what else would you expect with theincreasing number of advances in the sciences and engineeringthat are uncovering even more benefits from rare earth applications. The results of a two-year trial at Scotland’s Glasgow Royal Infirmary, published study in the Journal of Hospital Infection (Vol
Continue reading "LED lighting system kills hospital superbugs… (that’s 'bacterial' superbugs)" »
Saturday, November 06, 2010
Was I seeing double or what? I came across what ‘appeared’ to be a remarkable development, and then another, that only goes toconfirm that advances in biotechnology and material (in both science and engineering) are galloping at impressive rates. The devices described below clearly illustrate that the imaginary world of TV’s Steve Austin - The Six Million
Continue reading "Seeing is Believing… and Believing has lead to Seeing" »
Monday, October 25, 2010
I didn’t quite know how to title or capture both my wonder and frustration using the same phrase. It’s all in the intonation. The opening phaseis intended to be more hopeful and even lyrical, the second… I just dont know what people are thinking some day. Im referring to two article I read yesterday. Onthe happier and
Continue reading "Heaven Help Us (♫♫), Heaven Help Us (…???)" »
Featured Sponsor
RareMetal Sponsors
RMB Affiliates
Publisher
Recent Comments