Materials Science News Articles

Global Semiconductor Sales Increase 29.2% Year-to-Year

The Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) today announced worldwide sales of semiconductors were $44.5 billion in June 2021, an increase of 29.2% from the June 2020 total of $34.5 billion. Sales in June were 2.1% more than the May 2021 total of $43.6 billion. Sales during the second quarter of 2021 were $133.6 billion, an increase of 29.2% over the second quarter of 2020 and 8.3% more than the first quarter of 2021. Monthly sales are compiled by the World Semiconductor Trade Statistics (WSTS) organization and represent a three-month moving average. SIA represents 98% of the U.S. semiconductor industry by revenue and nearly two-thirds of non-U.S. chip firms.

Nanotechnology Solves the Problem of Thermal Insulation for Chemical Tanks and Chemical Plant Process Equipment

Finding a thermal insulation that can withstand the highly corrosive conditions of chemical tanks and chemical plant heat process equipment has been virtually impossible. The constant exposure to acids and bases and everything in between wreaks havoc on conventional thermal insulation and severely limits both the lifespan and performance qualities of the insulation.

NASA’s Lucy Spacecraft Begins Launch Preparations

Designed and built by Lockheed Martin for NASA, Lucy will give humankind its first ever close-up look at Jupiter’s elusive Trojan asteroids. These celestial objects are important because scientists believe they could hold clues about how our solar system and the planets formed.

Micron Launches World’s First 176-Layer NAND in Mobile Solutions to Power Lightning-Fast 5G Experiences

Micron Technology, Inc., announced today it has begun volume shipments of the world’s first 176-layer NAND Universal Flash Storage (UFS) 3.1 mobile solution. Engineered for high-end and flagship phones, Micron’s discrete UFS 3.1 mobile NAND unlocks 5G’s potential with up to 75% faster sequential write and random read performance than prior generations,1 enabling downloads of two-hour 4K movies2 in as little as 9.6 seconds.

Precision Coating Announces Merger with N2 Biomedical to Expand Medical Device Coating Platform

Precision Coating Announces Merger with N2 Biomedical to Expand Medical Device Coating Platform

Precision Coating, a leading medical coatings service provider to interventional, orthopedic, and advanced surgical markets, is pleased to announce a merger with N2 Biomedical, a Bedford, MA-based company.

3D Systems Accelerates Access to Advanced Materials – Opening New Applications

3D Systems Accelerates Access to Advanced Materials – Opening New Applications

3D Systems announced two additions to its industry-leading materials portfolio – Certified Scalmalloy (A) and Certified M789 (A) – to facilitate demanding industrial high-strength, corrosion-resistant parts for additive applications in markets such as aerospace, motorsports & automotive, semiconductor, energy, and moldmaking.

Spectrum Plastics Group Announces Building Renovation & Cleanroom Expansion at Minneapolis Facility

Spectrum Plastics Group Announces Building Renovation & Cleanroom Expansion at Minneapolis Facility

Spectrum Plastics Group, a global solutions provider for development through scaled manufacturing of critical polymer-based components and devices for medical and other demanding markets, is excited to announce a significant renovation and cleanroom expansion project at its Minneapolis, MN facility.

Relaxor Ferroelectrics Materials’ Mechanical & Electrical Properties Excite Researchers

Relaxor Ferroelectrics Materials’ Mechanical & Electrical Properties Excite Researchers

Relaxor ferroelectrics, which are often lead-based. These materials have mechanical and electrical properties that are useful in applications such as sonar and ultrasound. The more scientists understand about the internal structure of relaxor ferroelectrics, the better materials we can develop for these and other applications.

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Drug-Filled Nanocarriers United With Immune Cells

Drug-Filled Nanocarriers United With Immune Cells

Scientists at the Mainz University Medical Center and the Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research (MPI-P) have developed a new method to enable miniature drug-filled nanocarriers to dock on to immune cells, which in turn attack tumors.

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Ancient Biocrust’s Microorganisms Helped Seas With Nitrogen

Ancient Biocrust’s Microorganisms Helped Seas With Nitrogen

Like our oceans, today’s continents are brimming with life. Yet billions of years ago, before the advent of plants, continents would have appeared barren. These apparently vacant land forms were believed to play no role in the early biochemical clockwork known as the nitrogen cycle, which most living things depend on for survival. Researchers discover ancient biocrusts played an important role in the nitrogen cycle.

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Gold Nanoparticles Could Improve Solar Energy Storage

Gold Nanoparticles Could Improve Solar Energy Storage

gold nanoparticles, coated with a semiconductor, can produce hydrogen from water over four times more efficiently than other methods – opening the door to improved storage of solar energy and other advances that could boost renewable energy use and combat climate change, according to Rutgers University–New Brunswick researchers.

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Molecular clock could greatly improve smartphone navigation

Molecular clock could greatly improve smartphone navigation

MIT researchers have developed the first molecular clock on a chip, which uses the constant, measurable rotation of molecules — when exposed to a certain frequency of electromagnetic radiation — to keep time. The chip could one day significantly improve the accuracy and performance of navigation on smartphones and other consumer devices.

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Neutrino Distant Cosmic Source Identified

Neutrino Distant Cosmic Source Identified

Neutrinos, Italian for “little neutral ones,” are often described as “ghost particles,” for their extremely weak interactions with ordinary matter. Indeed, billions of neutrinos stream through our fingernails every second, without ruffling so much as a molecule of matter. And yet, on Sept. 22, 2017, the IceCube Neutrino Observatory, based at the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station, detected a neutrino in signals picked up by its detectors buried deep in the Antarctic ice. Researchers there quickly sent out alerts to ground- and space-based telescopes in hopes of finding the neutrino’s cosmic source.

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