Most all of us in the ceramics field, to greater and lesser extents, have been rooting for A123 Systems to succeed, so its been painful to see the company in recent months entering what appears to be a death spiral. Yesterday, with the release of A123’s Q2 financial reports and the official announcement of a Chinese company taking a major ownership stake in the enterprise, the direness of its straits became fully stark.

In an online report, A123 Systems said, “Total revenue for the second quarter of 2012 was $17.0 million, a decrease of 53% from $36.4 million in the second quarter of 2011. Within total revenue, product revenue was $11.5 million, a 61% decrease from $29.6 million in the second quarter of 2011, and services revenue was $5.5 million, a decrease of 19% from $6.8 million in the second quarter of 2011.” Ouch.

The profit/loss picture was even uglier: “Gross loss was ($29.2) million in the second quarter of 2012, compared to a gross loss of ($17.5) million in the second quarter of 2011.”

Clearly, this was an untenable situation and something had to give. Thus, it is not surprising that the company simultaneously announced that it had reached a “nonbinding” agreement with China-based Wanxiang Group Corp. that would permit the company to invest up to $450 million in A123 Systems, with the option of an additional investment of $175 million. (Practically speaking, the “nonbinding” adjective means Wanxiang may decline to make the investment if circumstances and facts change, and the two sides “are currently negotiating definitive documentation.”)

A123’s announcement describes the Wanxiang Group as “China’s largest automotive components manufacturer and one of China’s largest non-government-owned companies.”

A123 CEO David Vieau says in the announcement that the agreement

“… is the first step toward solidifying a strategic agreement that we believe would remove the uncertainty regarding A123’s financial situation. A substantial capital investment from Wanxiang would not only provide financial stability to A123 as we continue to grow, but it would also align us with a large, successful global brand in the automotive and cleantech industries. Wanxiang has a successful track record of operating in the US with significant employment and commitment to good corporate citizenship, and we expect that a strategic agreement with Wanxiang would help enhance our competitive position in the global marketplace, especially in China.”

It may be jumping the gun a bit, but the Wall Street Journal and Reuters are reporting that with these moves, Wanxiang is grabbing the reins of of A123.

Will the investment work? The WSJ reports that Wanxiang “has been an active buyer of distressed auto-parts makers for nearly a decade.”

But, I don’t think it is going to go well for the Obama administration and the DOE, who provided a grant to A123. The development is going to be a headache, and is sure to be spun as something along the lines of Solyndra 2.0.

Edited By Peter Wray • August 9, 2012

Link: http://ceramics.org/

Transparent solar cells for windows that generate electricity

On the left is a piece of glass plate, and on the right is the transparent solar cell

High-resolution imageCredit: Rui Zhu, Ph.D., one of the co-authors

“Visibly Transparent Polymer Solar Cells Produced by Solution Processing”
ACS Nano

Scientists are reporting development of a new transparent solar cell, an advance toward giving windows in homes and other buildings the ability to generate electricity while still allowing people to see outside. Their report appears in the journal ACS Nano.

Yang Yang, Rui Zhu, Paul S. Weiss and colleagues explain that there has been intense world-wide interest in so-called polymer solar cells (PSCs), which are made from plastic-like materials. PSCs are lightweight and flexible and can be produced in high volume at low cost. That interest extends to producing transparent PSCs. However, previous versions of transparent PSCs have had many disadvantages, which the team set out to correct.

They describe a new kind of PSC that produces energy by absorbing mainly infrared light, not visible light, making the cells 66 percent transparent to the human eye. They made the device from a photoactive plastic that converts infrared light into an electrical current. Another breakthrough is the transparent conductor made of a mixture of silver nanowire and titanium dioxide nanoparticles, which was able to replace the opaque metal electrode used in the past. This composite electrode also allowed the solar cell to be fabricated economically by solution processing. The authors suggest the panels could be used in smart windows or portable electronics.

The authors acknowledge funding from the Engineering School of UCLA, theOffice of Naval Research and the Kavli Foundation.

Vitox® AMC, an alumina matrix composite bioceramic material for hip joints from leading manufacturer of ceramic components, Morgan Technical Ceramics, is proven to have exceptionally low wear rates compared with alternative materials. This provides a reliable solution without the potential health risks associated with metal hip joints, whilst being longer lasting, and enabling patients to continue to lead active lifestyles.

Developed in conjunction with the National Institute for Applied Sciences at the University of Lyon (INSA Lyon) in France, and Durham University in the UK, Morgan Technical Ceramics has produced two new studies in hip joint wear:

‘Comparative ageing behavior of commercial, unworn and worn TZP and zirconia-toughened alumina hip joint heads’ and ‘Wear performance of advanced new generation ceramics: zirconia, alumina and zirconia toughened alumina applied in hard-on-soft and hard-on-hard hip prostheses’.

Morgan Technical Ceramics works with universities worldwide and has been supplying the global medical industry with ceramic components for more than 25 years.

In the study with Durham University, a polyethylene UHMWPE cup loaded against the
Zirconia-based heads produced the wear rate of 0.9307 mm3/106 cycles. However, comparatively there was considerable wear reduction for full ceramic couples. The steady-state wear rate was 0.0053 ± 0.0032 mm3/106 cycles (mean ± SD) for Vitox® AMC cups.

The studies also highlight that Vitox® AMC has shown an outstanding ageing stability with no sign of degradation over a period longer than human life.

“Our aim was to find a way to combine high wear resistance, excellent mechanical properties and long term stability into a single bioceramic that would also improve comfort and quality of life for patients,” says Yannick Galais, commercial manager at Morgan Technical Ceramics.

“I’m delighted that these reports demonstrate that our Vitox® AMC bioceramic really is harder wearing and lasts longer than alternatives.”

The report is available online at:
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0955221912000179

Vitox® AMC is a high purity, sub-micron grain alumina matrix composite offering a 55% increase in 4-point flexural strength and a 12.5% increase in fracture toughness compared to high purity implantable grade alumina. Materials specialists within Morgan Technical Ceramics have formulated the composite material with the intention that the mechanical properties of alumina can be enhanced.

The Vitox® AMC high strength and mechanical properties offer a wide range of design possibilities.

The composite material can be used to manufacture larger diameter femoral heads and thin wall section acetabular cups which are proven to reduce the likelihood of dislocation by providing a more stable joint, which can be a problem in patients who have undergone total hip replacement arthroplasty surgery. Larger bioceramic hip joints similar in diameter to natural bone feature, give recipients a wider range of motion without the potential for dislocation, improving quality of life.

Vitox® AMC can also be used for a new form of arthroplasry which has been developed for bone preservation. The new products are designed for minimal invasive procedure, require intricate shapes and thin wall sections and are designed for easier revision surgery for a subsequent total hip replacement device.

Vitox® AMC can be used in ceramic-on-ceramic systems or in conjunction with a polyethylene and metal acetabular cup in hip replacements.
Metal is still widely used in hip joints, however, recent reports have shown there to be potentially serious health risks caused by tiny metal ions can break off from the implants and leak into the blood, causing local reactions that destroy muscle and bone, cause severe pain and even long-term disability. Traditional metal–polyethylene hip implant wear also generates polyethylene particulate debris, inducing osteolysis, which can lead to the weakening of surrounding bone resulting in loosening of the implant, a primary cause of costly revision operations.

Vitox® AMC was developed at Morgan Technical Ceramics’ facility in Rugby, UK, which is certified with the ISO13458 standard for the design and manufacture of medical devices.

For more information contact +441788 539 220, or visit the web site www.mtcrugby.com/products/medical-implants/

Texas Technical Ceramics, Inc. (TTC) announced today that it has been awarded a three (3) year contract with Backer EHP for mass production of approximately 45 Million ceramic parts per the contract terms. The specialized ceramic parts consist of various electrical insulators made of Steatite, a crystalline form of magnesium silicate, which offers superior strength and safety for temperatures up to 2,000° F. TTC has proudly served the electrical market for more than 25 years and continues to be a trusted partner offering high quality products and superior customer service, at competitive prices.

Headquartered in Murfreesboro, TN with an additional plant located in Nuevo Laredo, Mexico- Backer EHP has been a leader in electric heat applications for almost 100 years. Formerly known as Chromalox, Backer EHP is globally recognized for providing high quality products for the cooking, water heater, dish washing, lighting and HVAC markets. For more information about Backer EHP you may visit them on the web at www.backerehp.com.

Texas Technical Ceramics, Inc. (TTC) is proudly located in Willis, Texas and offers advanced ceramic products to an array of markets to include: electrical, oil and gas, power, agriculture and aerospace. Established in 1981, TTC offers superior products that meet and exceed the expectations of its global customers by providing cost efficient solutions with high quality and quick-turn production. TTC has extensive experience with custom and mass production of parts using the most innovative materials such as Alumina, Cordierite, Spinel, Wollastonite, YTZ and Zirconia.

For more information about this project or to discuss your ceramic manufacturing needs, please contact Jeff Lassinger at (724)-353-1585 or by email at jlk@associatedceramics.com. You may visit TTC’s new website coming soon at www.texastechnicalceramics.com or its partner company www.associatedceramics.com.

Edited By Peter Wray • July 27, 2012 (No Comments)

Many of the same materials used in semiconductor processing are being applied to textile materials. Credit: Jur, NCSU.

The notion of ceramics going together with fabrics is a little counterintuitive. Mixing the hard stuff with soft threads? But, it’s true, and sort of like peanuts on top of an ice cream sundae—a great combination can occur. Actually, it’s really not all that counterintuitive if one considers just one application developed years ago that must have seemed a little hard to believe when it was introduced: fiberglass.

There are several groups of researchers that have been experimenting with blending ceramic materials and fabrics, yielding applications that range from the relativey simple to the extremely novel and robust.

For example, at the simple end of the spectrum, shirts are now available that claim to permanently incorporate sunblocking materials into their threads. That seems great to me. As a runner and someone who has already had one run-in with cancer, I am very watchful (if not a little paranoid) about sun exposure and wear long sleeve shirts outdoors (even when swimming). Cotton or cotton-blends seem to do a good job of blocking the sun, but hold perspiration like a sponge. As an alternative, I tried wearing some of the lightweight synthetic “wicking” shirts designed for sports, but I always wondered whether the meshy material was blocking all of the UV rays.

That was before I ran across Coolibar long sleeve athletic shirts. Coolibar claims to be the first company to “develop UPF 50+ apparel and hats using a proprietary fabric with zinc oxide that cannot be absorbed by the skin, cannot wear or wash off and safely deflects all UV rays.” Coolibar also makes attire with another UPF 50 fabric that contains TiO₂. (The UPF designation is the fabric corollary to the SPF system for sunscreens.) Coolibar says its fabrics have been evaluated by an independent lab following testing and labeling standards established by ASTM (D6544 andD123) and the American Association of Textile Chemists and Colorists. I just purchased several of these shirts and look forward to testing them during the rest of the summer.

Coolibar’s apparel is an example of ceramic science joining up with textiles that is easy to understand. A bigger stretch is some of the work being conducted at North Carolina State University, and reported in the new August issue of ACerS’ Bulletin, where researchers are experimenting with some novel ceramic surface treatments of textiles.

One NCSU group is using atomic layer disposition to expand the boundary of traditional textiles by exploiting the conducting and semiconducting properties of ceramic nanoscale materials. Jesse S. Jur and Gregory N. Parsons, professors at NCSU, discuss in one of the Bulletin stories how ALD-processing can be used for the fabrication of electronic devices using textiles. They note, for example, that ALD can be used to create building blocks for responsive sensors. “The nanoscale surface coverage of ALD offers the ability to fabricate device layers that take advantage of the high surface area and strategic structure-property relations available through the use of a textile substrate,” Jur and Parsons report. “This is important in the formation of responsive materials with electrical behavior that changes when flexed or exposed to certain chemicals, that is, fabrics that act as platforms for all-fiber-based electronic devices.” Jur and Parsons detail some of the materials being examined as well as the challenges to scaling up high-throughput ALD techniques, and they sketch a future where applications for surface-modified textiles (woven and nonwoven) go well beyond traditional clothing, furnishings and protective coverings.

Another Bulletin story, by Tiina Nypelö and Orlando J. Rojas, focuses on the combination of ceramic materials and cellulose to create new types of functionalized fibers. Nypelö, a postdoctoral student, and Rojas, another NCSU professor, report on the use of coatings of clay, calcium carbonate, TiO₂, silica and magnetic particles on emerging cellulose-based materials. They describe organic-inorganic hybrid fibers that could be used for flexible, printed electronics, circuit board bases, sensors, actuators and resistance temperature detectors as well as conductive, magnetic and piezoelectric films.

Thus, from shirts to sensors, it seems that the emerging ceramics–fabrics mashup isn’t all that odd, and, the benefits loom large.

• Ardagh Group is to buy (from Wayzata Investment Partners) US-based Anchor Glass Container Corp. for $880 million. The deal is expected to close at the end of August 2012. Anchor, the third largest glass container manufacturer in the US, produces 5.6 billion containers annually from its eight facilities in the US.

• Flat glass prices increased by 0.1% in June 2012 following no change in May 2012, according to the latest Producer Price Index report released by the US Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics. Overall, the price of flat glass increased by 1.4% from June 2011 to June 2012.

• It’s official now: Vitro’s Spanish subsidiary Vitro Cristalglass has been declared insolvent. The company said it took the decision as a result of the economic crisis in Europe, particularly the construction industry, where Vitro Cristalglass conducts its business.

• Calderys B.V. (Netherlands) has been awarded a contract by Technip Benelux B.V. for detailed engineering and supply of refractory materials for the biggest hydrogen reformer Technip has ever built, with final destination at LCC-RN Tuapse Refinery in Russia.

• It is reported that PT Krakatau Steel Corp. of Indonesia is set to build a mega blast furnace worth $621.81 million with a target of the operation in early 2015.

Link: ACerS

Ceramics Make Electronic Devices Possible

The nearly $2-trillion global electronics industry would not exist without ceramics. Ceramics’ wide range of electrical properties including insulating, semi-conducting, superconducting, piezoelectric and magnetic are critical to products such as cell phones, computers, television, and other consumer electronic products. The global market for electronic ceramics is estimated at around $9 billion.

Ceramic spark plugs, which are electrical insulators, have had a large impact on society. They were first invented in 1860 to ignite fuel for internal combustion engines and are still being used for this purpose today. Applications include automobiles, boat engines, lawnmowers, and the like. High voltage insulators make it possible to safely carry electricity to houses and businesses.

Save the Date!

ACerS Electronics and Basic Science division will host Electronic Materials and Applications 2013
in Orlando, Fla. January 23 – 25, 2013. EMA 2013 will focus on focuses on
electronic materials for energy generation, conversion and storage applications.

Ceramics Improve Antenna Performance

The next generation of mobile phone antennas would not be possible without special ceramics developed by Morgan Advanced Ceramics for Sarantel, a leading miniature antenna specialist. Sarantel’s PowerHelix range uses a patented design in which copper tracks, deposited onto a small ceramic cylinder, are individually and automatically laser trimmed for optimum frequency response.

Currently, this type of antenna is used in GPS applications, where its zero ground plane allows space saving in handheld and portable equipment. When mounted side by side, the antennas can also be used in combined applications such as Bluetooth and GPS without loss of performance. However, it is within the mobile phone market that the PowerHelix range may be of most benefit. Under E-911 Legislation in the United States, it will soon be mandatory for GPS receivers to be built in to mobile phone handsets, so that the technology can be used to help emergency services respond more effectively to distress calls. 3G mobile and Wi-Fi networks are also potential applications.

The continuing debate over the health implications of using mobile phones is another major issue. International safety regulations defined in terms of the specific energy absorption rate (SAR) encourage optimization of the ratio of radiated power versus absorbed power in the user head. The patented PowerHelix antenna design significantly reduces the losses of current that can cause an incident magnetic field at the user’s skin. A specific ceramic is used that enables the manufacture of antennas which yield just five per cent of the radiation emitted by other systems.

Transistors Advance With Ceramic Material

Intel is combining new high dielectric ceramic and metal materials to build the insulating walls and switching gates of its 45 nanometer transistors. Transistors are tiny switches that process the ones and zeroes of the digital world. The gate turns the transistor on and off and the gate dielectric is an insulator underneath it that separates it from the channel where current flows.

Hundreds of millions of these microscopic transistors-or switches-will be inside the next generation of multi-core processors, resulting in record-breaking PC, laptop and server processor speeds. By replacing the conventional dielectric material with a thicker hafnium-based oxide material, transistor gate leakage is reduced by more than 10 times and transistors can be made smaller, increasing transistor density by approximately two times.

When the hafnium ceramic is combined with a compatible metal gate, the result is more than a 20 percent increase in drive current (higher transistor performance) and more than a five times reduction in source-drain leakage, thus improving the energy efficiency of the transistor. The smaller transistor size means active switching power is reduced by approximately 30 percent.

More: www.ceramics.org

Second-order nonlinear optical properties are fundamental for applications such as frequency conversions. Glass ceramics are of great interest for the development of optical elements with meter-scale dimensions for high power laser facilities.

A typical crystallized spherulite.

Now, a research group has reported a reproducible and fast-technique to prepare transparent glass-ceramics, through a phase separation process leading to approximately 30µm crystallized spherical area called spherulites. The group performed Raman and second-order nonlinear investigations using an original multi-scale approach from the nanometer up to the millimeter scale. Both the far field response of the material and the individual response from the crystallites were addressed. For the first time, spherulite crystallization has been linked with a 3-D isotropic second-order nonlinear optical signal. Furthermore, the researchers suggest a mechanism at the origin of this signal, and demonstrate a new approach for isotropic frequency conversion in transparent inorganic materials.

This research is part of the NANONLO European Project MTKD-CT-2006-042301, where French and Greek scientists are investigating new glass-ceramics with a reduced refractive index contrast between the glass matrix and spherulites, for elaborating fully transparent materials. The group say that this will constitute the focus of their future efforts.

Link: http://www.materialsviews.com

Woven silicon carbide ceramic fibers. Credit: Christian Heiss et al.; MaterialsViews/Wiley.

Textile structures made from silicon carbide fibers are very interesting for manufacturing of fiber reinforced high temperature resistant ceramic matrix composites materials. To produce such textile structures a one or multi-step manufacturing processes like braiding, weaving, warp, or weft knitting is necessary. Depending on the fiber packing density and orientation the fabric structure, the stiffness, deformation, and fracture behavior of the fabric structure vary in a wide range.

In contrast to woven fabrics, which exhibit a low drapability and stretchability in different directions, warp-knitted fabrics are formed by creating loops which give rise for high flexibility and deformability. However, a high Young’s modulus and low deformability of the carbide fibers makes loop formation during knitting difficult. Bending of fibers is also affected by the friction which is caused by ribbing between fibers and the machine parts and by the friction between the fibers inside the roving.

Recently, scientists from the Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nuremberg, Germany, demonstrated the manufacturing of knitted fabrics made of silicon carbide ceramic fiber. In an article that appears in Advanced Engineering Materials, “Manufacturing of Silicon Carbide Knit Fabrics” (doi:10.1002/adem.201100192), they show how they derived the critical bending loads from fiber knot and loop testing in order to optimize yarn pretension, working speed, and take up speed during knitting processing. Subsequently, they tested and examined the mechanical behavior of the knit fabric under tensional load.

The investigations show that fiber fracture during knitting can be caused by torsion, bending, or tension. The German researchers considered fiber bending as the critical loading condition imposing boundary condition on the knitting process. Reduction of interfiber friction surface sizing was found to be a critical step in order to produce a continuous knit structure.

The scientists modified the processing conditions for knitting and reduced buckling and friction acting on the silicon carbide ceramic fiber rovings. Using penetrating oil the points of largest friction between fibers and critical knitting elements were lubricated which decreased fiber fracture. Compared to woven silicon carbide fabric structures the knitted fiber perform offers a superior flexibility, wider range of pore size and a higher degree of drapability.

Martin Grolms writes for MaterialsViews, where this post originally appeared.

A new research report titled, “Sol-Gel Processing of Ceramics and Glass” has been released by Reportlinker.com. The report is an update of the market report published in 2006, and it provides the most current information on the sol-gel industry.

Major objectives of the report are as follows:

To identify and profile companies involved in the development of sol-gel-derived products
To discover the technological and business issues associated with the development and manufacture of sol-gel-derived products
To provide a summary of a variety of commercial products produced with the sol-gel technology and their applications and
Others.
Sol-gel processing is a low-temperature processing methodology that uses chemical precursors and can produce ceramics and glass with better homogeneity and higher purity than conventional high-temperature methods. It can be used to produce materials with various compositions in different forms, including porous membranes, monoliths and composites, coatings and thin films, fibers and powders. The process is also ideal for producing organic or inorganic hybrids. One of the important benefits of the sol-gel technology is that it can create compositions that are impossible with conventional processes. In addition, the mixing molecular-scale mixing of the precursors which results in homogenous mixtures is maintained in the final product.

One of the major application fields of sol-gel-derived products is coatings and thin films that are used in optical, electronic and electro-optic devices and components. They are also utilized to produce antireflection coatings for architectural and automotive applications and protective and decorative coatings for use on metal, glass and other substrates. Composite powders made from sol-gel are ideal for use as herbicides or agrochemicals.

Additionally, the technology can be utilized to infiltrate fiber preforms to produce composites. Recently, sol-gel has been used in biotechnology applications, including drug delivery for medicine, environmental testing, biochemical process monitoring and food processing.

Source: http://www.reportlinker.com/