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Galvanic corrosion, which occurs when the surfaces of different adjoining metals begin to degrade, costs the automotive industry billions of dollars annually. The reactions of these different metal combinations is influenced by material properties, surface roughness, and joining ... Read More

Pyrolysis is a pre-commercial thermochemical process that converts renewable, plant-based materials such as wood into liquid biofuels. To make pyrolysis a cost-effective method for biofuel conversion, researchers at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) are using multiphysics ... Read More

We rely on capacitive touchscreens whenever we interact with a smartphone, MP3 device, or car video screen. Touchscreen designs vary by application, so each stack-up (a touchscreen component) is customized for the intended environment. Engineers at Cypress Semiconductor used COMSOL ... Read More

At the Fiat Research Center in Italy, Michele Gosso and Antonio Fiumara are working on the development of providing power for electric and hybrid vehicles. The team must combine individual lithium-ion battery pouch cells into battery packs to generate the 350V needed, while providing the ... Read More

Corrosion is a widespread concern costing the US billions of dollars annually. For the Navy, specifically, it is the number one maintenance problem. Therefore, at the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL), researchers are developing a method based on multiphysics simulation that will aid ... Read More

Smart materials with magnetostrictive behavior are engineered and incorporated in high-precision devices by the designers and researchers at ETREMA Products, Inc. Terfenol-D, in particular, is a giant magnetostrictive material solely manufactured by ETREMA that exhibits the largest ... Read More

The chemical reactions used to generate solvents and certain pharmaceuticals rely on organic synthesis, a process of combining individual chemicals that can be accelerated through microwave heating. A microreactor system facilitates the direct, localized, and efficient temperature change ... Read More

Nuclear sites in Italy are being decommissioned, leaving questions about how to safely manage and store radioactive waste. Nuclear waste can be stored temporarily in steel drums encased in concrete, but environmental factors must be carefully controlled to prevent corrosion of the steel. ... Read More

Deep-space telescopes require ultrasensitive detectors and calibration to pick up weak far-infrared signals. The SpicA Far-InfraRed Instrument (SAFARI), an infrared camera that will fly aboard the Space Infrared Telescope for Cosmology and Astrophysics (SPICA), has sensors that measure ... Read More

In addition to surviving normal winters, a strong building must be able to survive the worst winters expected in a 50-year period. When moisture and contaminants enter concrete foundations, they create the risk of cracking or other structural damage once the soil or foundation freezes. ... Read More