Materials

As chemical engineers, we are involved in many different industries and our work is critical to research and development (R&D) initiatives. From the development of pigments and dyes, to the scaleup that enables product affordability, the textiles and fabrics industry is no exception. The materials used in sports, outdoor, defense, and medical applications have rapidly progressed since the initial development of synthetic fibers. Ongoing research across academia and industry is backed by large-scale collaborations, such as Advanced Functional Fabrics of America (AFFOA), a member of the Manufacturing USA initiative. Here’s a look at some of the innovative clothing technology that manufacturers, designers, and bloggers forecast will shape our future.

Molecular separations are at the heart of chemical engineering, and nanostructured membranes are emerging as a low-cost alternative to traditional separation processes. However, most membranes struggle to maintain performance in harsh environments...

An Embroidered Battery for Wearable Biosensors Engineers at the Univ. of Massachusetts Amherst (UMass Amherst) have developed a thread-based battery that can be stitched into fabric and used to power wearable biosensors for health monitoring...

Underwater Device Captures Deep Sea Creatures Engineers at Harvard Univ. have developed a 12-sided self-folding device capable of capturing creatures from the darkest depths of the ocean, an innovation that has the potential to revolutionize our...

This article discusses how rare earth elements (REEs) and precious and specialty metals — collectively known as critical materials (CMs) — are sourced as well as some issues and engineering challenges that may lie ahead.

Protein-polymer conjugates are created either by covalently attaching synthetic polymers to proteins or by growing polymers directly from the protein surface. The latter is known as a “grafting-from” approach, which takes advantage of radical...

Natural gas combustion produces less greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions than the burning of other fossil fuels. For example, GHG emissions from shale gas can be 6% lower than conventional natural gas, 23% lower than gasoline, and 33% lower than coal...

Nanomaterials Restore Aged Canvases Researchers at Chalmers Univ. of Technology in Göteborg, Sweden, have developed a new method to provide structural support to canvas using nanomaterials. The method, called consolidation, treats the degraded...

Dragonflies Inspire a New Way To Create and Dry Aerogels When a dragonfly emerges from its underwater larval stage and stretches out its wings for the first time, those wings are as soft as jelly. But after a mere hour or so, they are solid and...

Hydrogels could play an important role in the fabrication of functional tissues for regenerative medicine. This article describes the developments in polymer chemistry, nanomaterials, molecular biology, and microscale technologies that are spurring advances in hydrogel fabrication.

Vaccine Boosts Immune System Response to Cancer Cancer can be difficult to treat because its highly proliferative cells spread throughout the body, effectively evading the immune system’s surveillance. One opportunity that scientists are pursuing...

The widespread adoption of lithium ion batteries for energy storage has driven a steep increase in the demand for lithium. As a result, lithium prices have surged, while lithium reserves have declined.