Posts Tagged ‘Future’

Nanocomposites with Biodegradable Polymers: Synthesis, Properties, and Future Perspectives

Product Description
Bio-nanocomposites combine the enhanced properties of commercial polymer nanocomposites with the low environmental impact of biodegradable material, making them a topic of great current interest. Because of their tremendous role in reducing dependency on commercial non-biodegradable polymers, and their environmentally-friendly nature, bio-nanocomposites need to be studied in greater detail. In this book, recent advancements in their development are brought together … More >>

Nanocomposites with Biodegradable Polymers: Synthesis, Properties, and Future Perspectives

The Future of Commercial Aviation: Boeing 787 Dreamliner

The Boeing 787 Dreamliner is a mid-sized, wide-body, twin-engine jet airliner currently under development by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. It will carry between 210 and 330 passengers depending on variant and seating configuration. Boeing stated that it will be more fuel-efficient than earlier Boeing airliners and will be the first major airliner to use composite materials for most of its construction. Boeing’s development of the 787 is also innovative in the collaborative management approach with suppliers.

Long fiber reinforced thermoplastics Light Weight Automobile future – thermoplastic, plastic, automobile – the plastics industry

HC plastic mesh News: LFT is the field of fiber-reinforced polymer is a new advanced lightweight materials with designable, low density, high specific strength, high modulus and impact resistance than the characteristics of strong, its appearance on the aluminum, fiber reinforced thermosetting composite materials pose a great challenge, and gradually become the production Car Parts of mainstream material. LFT is short for Long-FiberReinforceThermoplastic English, Chinese, translated into long fiber reinforced thermoplastics, they used to call long-fiber reinforced thermoplastic composite materials, it is the field of fiber-reinforced polymer is a new advanced lightweight materials. In the past 20 years, the Energy Crisis and oil prices led car light weight gradually become the development trend of new cars, but also made it to their attention to the low-density materials, research and development LFT, LFT material properties and processing technology has steadily improved. Now, LFT can challenge has become a kind of aluminum alloys, fiber-reinforced thermosetting composites lightweight car new material, with strong market competitiveness. It is reported that in recent years, made use of LFT market share of automotive products increased by 15%, and maintain a strong upward trend, this phenomenon has caused great concern to industry professionals. What is LFT LFT is a broad word for plastic, composite materials in the automotive industry in an informal but the definition of the convention, referring to the length of more than 10mm of reinforcing fibers (typically glass fibers) and thermoplastic polymer (typically Polypropylene ) For mixing and production of products made. For example: GMT (Glass-MatReinforceThermoplastic), LFT-G (Long-FiberReinforceThermoplasticGranules), LFT-D (Long-FiberReinforceThermoplasticDirect), etc are LFT areas with low density, high specific strength, high specific modulus and impact resistance and strong characteristics. LFT materials with enhanced mechanical properties of wood fibers and the proportion of the. LFT automotive glass reinforcing fibers are usually fiber, glass fiber products that in theory the proportion can reach 10% ~ 80% (mean weight), while in fact the ratio of glass fiber used is usually 20% to 40%. In addition, LFT’s mechanical properties with enhanced fiber length has a close relationship. With a similar short fiber (fiber length of less than about 1mm) increased compared to injection molding of thermoplastic composites, LFT materials in terms of strength, anti-impact performance, energy absorption and so on have been greatly improved. Therefore, these features are also more stringent requirements for the LFT in internal and external structure of vehicle parts and semi-structural parts on the application to create the conditions to become popular by the automotive industry one of the main. Several major material LFT Recent years, LFT material properties and molding process has a lot of new developments: the application of the more popular materials can be broadly grouped into three categories – GMT, LFT-G and the LFT-D; more mature Plastic Molding Technology of pressure molding and injection molding, which is compressive plastic molding materials GMT, LFT-G, and which LFT-D both pressure plastic molding, injection molding can be, this requires specific technical requirements according to product, cost, production-scale selection and other factors. 1, GMT 70s in the 20th century, GMT first widely used in Europe, and into the late ’80s, GMT sheet material and its products have become very active internationally one of the composite material products. GMT sheet refers to the continuous glass fiber mat or chopped glass fiber mat and thermoplastic resins (mostly PP Resin) composite made of a sheet molding compound, usually two layers of glass mat thermoplastic composite three-layer resin film. Using different types of glass mat and do different kinds of thermoplastic resin matrix, we can get a wide variety of GMT material. GMT composite material production process requires two mature technologies: sheet (prepreg) and compression molding and plastic molding products. Compression molding plastic products through re-cutting sheet cutting, preheating, molded, mold release a series of processes to complete processing. GMT products have many excellent performance, such as chemical resistance, strength / weight ratio, high and low temperature environment such as good impact resistance. GMT’s largest single-use framework for automotive front-end module, followed by seat frame, energy absorbing bumpers, etc. inside. Figure 1 RANGER company’s newly developed products with GMT 2005 Lancia Y-Epsilon middle panel door frame. Figure 1 RANGER company’s newly developed materials produced using GMT 2005 Lancia Y-Epsilon doors plate frame

Visions of the Future: The Development of Bionic Lenses

“We can rebuild him – we have the technology!” And so began The Six Million Dollar Man, an astronaut reconstructed with bionic parts to be part-man, part-cyborg, all-awesome. As with many film and TV franchises of the 70s, both the action and the technology in The Six Million Dollar Man and The Bionic Woman are rich in wishful thinking. However, 30 years later, engineers at the University of Washington have made a bionic contact lens that takes us a step closer to the cyborg dream.

The research was presented at an international conference at the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. The bionic contact lens is a master of nanotechnology and microfabrication, reconciling the fundamental difference between the polymers used for contact lenses and the material used in microchips and light-emitting diodes (LEDs). The electronic circuits are so fine as to be only one-thousandth the width of a human hair. Although circuitry covers much of the current prototype’s surface it would not obstruct a person’s view.

Scientists expect that with the basic capacity for electric circuits in place the lens could develop displays in the future. This would mean they not only correct vision but also act as a tiny, flexible, wireless display screen.

The possibilities for the contact lenses are manifold. Projecting information over the vision of the wearer has exciting possibilities for gaming in a virtual world and simulation training.

We could also see portable devices as we know them now – laptops, mobile phones, tablets –shift in form as screen is separated from device and placed directly on the eye. Commuters could check the morning’s news surfing the web discreetly and wirelessly.

Aside from display screens, the ability to minimise electrical devices and place them unobtrusively on the body could be a substantial breakthrough for health care. Babak Parviz, an assistant professor involved in the project has said: “A lot of indicators that tell if a person is healthy or not show up on the surface of the eye”. Contact lenses equipped with bio-sensors could be collect health data in a non-invasive way and transmit it straight to patient records. They could also be used in conjunction with retinal implants to correct vision problems.

The lens has so far been tested on rabbits but has some way to go before being operational. In particular, scientists will have to find a way for the retina to focus sharply on images displayed so close. We can only look to the future and wait.

The Tsitsiringos Story, Part 5 “Interview on Future Innovations”

SF: Thanks for taking the time for this interview.

Dr. VKT: Not at all, it is a pleasure.

SF: Dr. Tsitsiringos, can you describe for us what processes you have been involved in, and brought to fruition?

Dr. VKT: Certainly. my group has worked on new methods of toxic waste disposal, wind and solar energy, and we are currently involved in a few very exciting new processes concerning energy, sanitation, and heating.

SF: What exactly was involved in toxic waste disposal?

Dr.VKT: Our group was able to mix toxic wastes in a plastic and cement matrix, and bind the chemicals in a permanent way. This was used instead of burning or burying the wastes. The new cement blocks were then broken up into rocks and used as under layer foundation for making highways. It was highly effective. We sold our knowhow and process onwards.

SF: Can you describe for us what you are working on now?

Dr. VKT: We are working on a novel way to generate electricity. When perfected, the implications will be enormous. Sorry I cannot elaborate more on that. We are also working on a system to sanitize hospital wastes using ozone, which is 100% environmentally safe; a very exciting process. Finally we have a process that creates hot water (and thus hot air) without the conventional heating element or the burning of any fuel. All these processes are forward looking, 21st century innovations.

SF: So what is involved in the steps to bringing these processes to market?

Dr. VKT: Interesting question. There are many steps. The first is securing relations with the inventors, or patent holders. This can take quite a long time to get right. That done, there is often a need for investment, and that requires investment banking expertise. When ready, licensees or collaborative partners must be recruited, and brought into the process. Sometimes governments become involved, or local partners are eligible for some form of government subsidy. It is truly an involved procedure.

SF: What can you tell us about the world energy segment in the future (how you see it)

Dr. VKT: We have been looking at the gradual shift away from fossil based fuels. In this respect, we are currently negotiating with a company that has a quite novel and ready system to produce fuels from algae. All the large major fuel companies are working on such processes as well, but the people we know have a system up and running. This system uses no distillation process, but only nanotechnology filtration. I see the the energy field going this way, and of course, alternative systems such as wind, solar and generators (such as we have) using no fuel at all.

SF: Finally Dr. Tsitsiringos, can you tell us if you are optimistic or pessimistic on getting novel processes and inventions out to the world marketplace?

Dr. VKT: I am very optimistic. There is a quiet revolution underway in technology. We see robotics, nanotechnology and genetic engineering re-shaping our lives daily. The cell phone’s evolution is a good example. In the next few years to come, you will see daily, the introduction of processes that will affect (positively) every aspect of our daily lives.