Show Notes 14 February 2025
Story 1: New fabric can heat up more than 50 degrees to keep people warm in ultracold weather
Source: LiveScience.com Story by Victoria Atkinson
See the team’s research paper here: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s42114-024-00994-4
- Scientists at the University of Waterloo in Canada have invented a fabric that converts light into heat and can raise temperatures by more than 54 degrees Fahrenheit (30 degrees Celsius) after just 10 minutes in the sun. The new material could be used in clothing designed for very cold temperatures.
- Here’s how the new fabric works: Specialized nanoparticles that absorb sunlight and convert it to heat are embedded within the new material.
- At the same time, temperature-responsive dyes incorporated into the fabric’s fibers change color, allowing users to visually monitor temperature fluctuations.
- For years, scientists have designed wearable [fabric] heaters to help maintain a comfortable body temperature in cold environments. Such fabrics could be used in mountain rescue equipment and even pet clothing, but existing designs typically rely on expensive components such as metal nanomaterials or cumbersome battery-powered heating elements.
- To get around these problems, the researchers at the University of Waterloo in Canada looked to photothermal polymers, which are plastic-like materials that convert light into heat.
- Side note: Photothermal refers to the conversion of light (usually from the sun) into heat. This concept is utilized in various technologies and scientific applications. For example:
- Photothermal Therapy: A medical treatment that uses light to produce heat, which then targets and destroys cancer cells.
- Photothermal Solar Panels: Devices that convert sunlight into heat, which is then used for heating water or living spaces.
- Nanoparticles of the two polymers — polyaniline (PANI) and polydopamine (PDA) — are embedded within a matrix of thermoplastic polyurethane (PTU) fibers.
- Note: thermoplastic polyurethane fibers are a material widely used to produce waterproof clothing and sportswear.
- The team also incorporated various temperature-responsive (thermochromic) dyes into the mix during the spinning process, producing a series of fibers that changed color as the temperature of the material increased.
- These newly spun fibers were readily woven into fabric. To test the new fabric the team knitted a tiny sweater for a teddy bear.
- The red sweater reached an impressive 128.3 F (53.5 C) after just 10 minutes of sun exposure.
- As the temperature climbed, the red dye molecules changed chemical structure, causing them to turn white.
- The smart fabric has a soft and elastic texture, which allows the material to stretch by as much as five times its original size and retain its color- and temperature-changing properties even after 25 washes, according to the study.
- Reality check: The team is working to prepare the material for commercial manufacturing, but they still have to do further testing before it can gain widespread use.
Story 2: MIT engineers develop breakthrough technology that could change the way we process [recycled] aluminum
Source: Yahoo!Tech “Today in Tech” Story by Jeremiah Budin
Link: https://www.yahoo.com/tech/mit-engineers-develop-breakthrough-technology-110053323.html?guccounter=1
See also: https://www.techexplorist.com/capturing-recycling-aluminum-manufacturing-waste/95378/
See also: https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acssuschemeng.4c07268
- Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology recently developed a new method of recycling aluminum that could make the process more efficient while reducing hazardous waste.
- The method involves a newly created ceramic nanofiltration membrane that can selectively capture aluminum ions from industrial waste sources.
- While that might sound a bit technical, the important takeaway is that this new development can recycle more aluminum while reducing polluting byproducts.
- One of the researchers noted, “We were able to capture 99.5% of the aluminum ions, and even after sitting in highly acidic solutions for weeks, the membrane maintained its high performance. This is a huge advantage, as aluminum waste is typically acidic, which can degrade less durable materials.”
- Another team member noted, “We’re not just preventing waste. This membrane technology also enables a circular economy for aluminum, which could reduce the need for new mining and help mitigate some of the industry’s environmental footprint.”
Story 3: Machine Learning Designs Materials as Strong as Steel and as Light as Foam
Source: Technology Networks Story from University of Toronto
See also: https://advanced.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/adma.202410651
- Warning This is a very geeky story that involves multiple international contributors!
- Researchers at the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering have used machine learning to design nano-architected materials that have the strength of carbon steel but the lightness of Styrofoam.
- In a new paper published in Advanced Materials, the research team describes how they made nanomaterials with properties that offer a conflicting combination of exceptional strength, light weight and customizability. This approach could benefit a wide range of industries, from automotive to aerospace.
- Reminder –Nano typically refers to things that are extremely small or related to the nanometer scale, which is one billionth of a meter.
- The lead author of the research paper noted, “Nano-architected materials combine high performance shapes, like making a bridge out of triangles, at nanoscale sizes, which takes advantage of the ‘smaller is stronger’ effect, to achieve some of the highest strength-to-weight and stiffness-to-weight ratios, of any material.”
- Here’s the problem the team faced according to one of the researchers, “However, the standard lattice shapes and geometries used tend to have sharp intersections and corners, which leads to the problem of stress concentrations. This results in early local failure and breakage of the materials, limiting their overall potential.”
- The team realized that this would be a perfect problem for machine learning to tackle [AI].
- Nano-architected materials are made of tiny building blocks or repeating units measuring a few hundred nanometers in size — it would take more than 100 of them patterned in a row to reach the thickness of a human hair. These building blocks, which in this case are composed of carbon, are arranged in complex 3D structures called nanolattices.
- To design their improved materials, the University of Toronto team worked with two scientists at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science & Technology in South Korea.
- The Korean team employed an algorithm that learned from simulated geometries to predict the best possible geometries for enhancing stress distribution and improving the strength-to-weight ratio of nano-architected designs.
- Next, a two-photon polymerization 3D printer housed in the Centre for Research and Application in Fluidic Technologies in Toronto was used to create prototypes for experimental validation. This additive manufacturing technology enables 3D printing at the micro and nano scale, creating optimized carbon nanolattices.
- Side note: A two-photon polymerization (2PP) 3D printer is a high-precision additive manufacturing technology used to create intricate micro- and nanostructures. Here’s a brief overview of how it works:
1. Principle: Two-photon polymerization relies on the simultaneous absorption of two photons by a photosensitive material (usually a liquid resin) 3D printing – Nanoscribe](https://www.nanoscribe.com/en/microfabrication-technologies/2pp-two-photon-polymerization/). This absorption triggers a chemical reaction that causes the resin to harden.
2. Laser Focus: A laser beam is focused into a very small volume of the resin 3D printing – Nanoscribe](https://www.nanoscribe.com/en/microfabrication-technologies/2pp-two-photon-polymerization/). The high intensity of the laser at the focal point ensures that the two-photon absorption occurs only in that specific area.
3. Precision: By moving the laser focus point with high accuracy, the printer can create complex 3D structures layer by layer 3D printing – Nanoscribe](https://www.nanoscribe.com/en/microfabrication-technologies/2pp-two-photon-polymerization/). This allows for the fabrication of features with submicron resolution 3D printing – Nanoscribe](https://www.nanoscribe.com/en/microfabrication-technologies/2pp-two-photon-polymerization/).
4. Applications: 2PP is used in various fields, including micro-optics, micromechanics, biomedical engineering, and materials science.
- One of the lead researchers noted, “This is the first time machine learning has been applied to optimize nano-architected materials, and we were shocked by the improvements. It didn’t just replicate successful geometries from the training data; it learned from what changes to the shapes worked and what didn’t, enabling it to predict entirely new lattice geometries”.
Story 4: New Smart Glasses Use Insect Vision Tech to Restore Full 3D Visual Experience – offering treatment of macular degeneration
Source: WonderfulEngineering.com Story by Jannat Un Nisa
Check out the great video on the opening page of the company behind this technology, see: https://www.soliddd.com/
- SolidddVision smartglasses, developed by Soliddd Corp and unveiled at CES 2025, are set to revolutionize the treatment of macular degeneration, a leading cause of blindness. This innovative design is inspired by a fly’s eye combining virtual reality and augmented reality technologies.
- Macular degeneration affects nearly 19.8 million people over age 40 in the U.S. alone, blurring central vision due to damage to the macula.
- SolidddVision addresses this by projecting multiple images onto healthy areas of the retina.
- Using lenses modeled after a fly’s eye, the glasses direct parallel rays of light to the retina’s undamaged peripheral edges, creating a complete visual image.
- This approach leverages the brain’s ability to process these inputs into a cohesive picture.
- The glasses feature advanced 3D technology and computer vision AI to enhance areas of the visual field typically lost to patients.
- Equipped with outward- and inward-facing cameras, the glasses capture what the user sees while tracking their gaze, sending 100 views to the displays behind the lenses.
- Each display contains 49 lenses, with future versions expected to feature triple this number.
- This design mimics the brain’s natural visual processing, enabling stereopsis [that’s depth perception] and creating an in-focus, 3D visual experience.
- Clinical trials at New York’s Lighthouse Guild demonstrated the effectiveness of SolidddVision, with 50% of the 30 participants showing measurable improvements in reading abilities. Testimonials from trial participants highlight the glasses’ transformative impact, offering clearer vision and enhanced quality of life for those with retinal diseases.
- The technology is poised for commercial release this year, pending additional patient testing.
Honorable Mentions
Story: Solar panels on train tracks: French railway testing new system for power generation
Source: Interesting Engineering.com Story by Prabhat Ranjan Mishra
Link: https://interestingengineering.com/energy/french-railway-solar-panel-on-track
- SNCF, the national railway company of France, is exploring the use of photovoltaic (PV) solar modules on railway tracks. The latest container-based solar-plus-storage plant developed by AREP, an SNCF subsidiary, can be placed on the rails and relocated as needed.
- Called the Solveig project, the initiative began on January 17 at Achères, a commune in the Yvelines department in north-central France.
- Engineers placed eight solar panels at the Achères Technical Center. It will remain in place for six months to evaluate performance and reliability.
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Story: Forecasting wildfires: AI-powered tool to combat rising wildfire danger
Source: Phys.org News from University of Canterbury, New Zealand
Link: https://phys.org/news/2025-01-wildfires-ai-powered-tool-combat.html
See also: https://www.publish.csiro.au/WF/WF24113
- A new wildfire forecasting system that updates using real-time weather data could help firefighters protect lives and property from a growing global threat.
- Developed by an international team led by Dr. Alberto Ardid, a research engineer in Civil and Natural Resources Engineering at Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha | University of Canterbury (UC), the new tool uses machine learning (a type of artificial intelligence) to analyze ever-changing weather data.
- His team has developed a unique AI-based system that uses readily available weather data to predict wildfire danger in real-time, providing a powerful tool to inform timely decision-making.
- This study aims to introduce a novel machine learning-based approach for forecasting fire potential and to test its performance in the Sunshine Coast region of Queensland, Australia, over a period of 15 years from 2002 to 2017.
- By analysing real-time data from local weather stations at a sub-hourly temporal resolution, we aimed to identify distinct weather patterns occurring hours to days before fires. We trained random forest machine learning models to classify pre-fire conditions.
- “Our AI model analyses weather data every 30 minutes, capturing dynamic weather patterns that can contribute to sudden wildfire outbreaks,” Dr. Ardid says. “This approach offers a cost-effective solution for communities and agencies to enhance their wildfire prediction and response capabilities, contributing to community safety and resilience in the face of increasing wildfire danger.”
- The model outputs a prediction of the likelihood of fire in the next few days, continuously updated with new meteorological data. The real-time monitoring system uses existing data and infrastructure making it cost-effective in regions with limited resources.
- The AI model was developed and tested using historical weather and fire data from Queensland, Australia, and achieved a 47% improvement in predicting critical pre-fire conditions compared to the existing Forest Fire Danger Index.
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Story: University of New Mexico engineers build the future of 3D printing with bendable concrete
Source: UNM News Story by Carly Bowling
Link: https://news.unm.edu/news/unm-engineers-build-the-future-of-3d-printing-with-bendable-concrete
See video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LR_pfeU49XQ
- Armed with a 3D concrete printer, careful measuring tools, and just the right ingredients, a team at The University of New Mexico has worked hard to design the construction building blocks of the future. Now, their bendable concrete material design is officially patented.
- Researchers in the Gerald May Department of Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering are working to develop the materials necessary to 3D print concrete structures.
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Story: Hydrogen in Minutes: The Microwave Innovation Changing Clean Energy
Source: SciTechDaily.com Story from POSTECH
Link: https://scitechdaily.com/hydrogen-in-minutes-the-microwave-innovation-changing-clean-energy/
- Scientists at the Pohang University of Science and Technology in South Korea have unlocked a groundbreaking way to produce clean hydrogen using microwaves, drastically reducing the extreme heat required for conventional methods. By harnessing microwave energy, the team lowered the reaction temperature by over 60%, making hydrogen production far more efficient and sustainable. A key breakthrough was the rapid creation of oxygen vacancies, essential for splitting water into hydrogen, in just minutes rather than hours.
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