Invisible barrier wards off metal corrosion

28-Sep-2012 - A coating so thin it’s invisible to the human eye has been shown to make copper nearly 100 times more resistant to corrosion, creating tremendous potential for metal protection even in harsh environments.In a paper published in Carbon, researchers from Monash University and Rice University in the ...

Glass half full: Double-strength glass may be within reach

Rice University study suggests possible method for increasing the strength of glass

27-Sep-2012 - Glass is strong enough for so much: windshields, buildings and many other things that need to handle high stress without breaking. But scientists who look at the structure of glass strictly by the numbers believe some of the latest methods from the microelectronics and nanotechnology industry ...

Toughened silicon sponges may make tenacious batteries

Rice University, Lockheed Martin researchers extract multiple anodes from a single wafer for lithium-ion batteries

18-Jul-2012 - Researchers at Rice University and Lockheed Martin reported that they've found a way to make multiple high-performance anodes from a single silicon wafer. The process uses simple silicon to replace graphite as an element in rechargeable lithium-ion batteries, laying the groundwork for ...

Tiny bubbles snap carbon nanotubes like twigs

Rice University study details exactly how nanotubes bend and break

12-Jul-2012 - What's 100 times stronger than steel, weighs one-sixth as much and can be snapped like a twig by a tiny air bubble? The answer is a carbon nanotube -- and a new study by Rice University scientists details exactly how the much-studied nanomaterials snap when subjected to ultrasonic vibrations in a ...

Palladium-gold nanoparticles clean TCE a billion times faster than iron filings

02-Jul-2012 - In the first side-by-side tests of a half-dozen palladium- and iron-based catalysts for cleaning up the carcinogen TCE, Rice University scientists have found that palladium destroys TCE far faster than iron -- up to a billion times faster in some cases. The results will appear in a new study in ...

New materials could slash energy costs for CO2 capture

Study IDs 'zeolite' minerals that are one-third more efficient for carbon capture

04-Jun-2012 - A detailed analysis of more than 4 million absorbent minerals has determined that new materials could help electricity producers slash as much as 30 percent of the "parasitic energy" costs associated with removing carbon dioxide from power plant emissions.The research by scientists at Rice ...

Reversible doping: Hydrogen flips switch on vanadium oxide

Rice University physicists find reversible way to alter VO2's unique electronic about-face

25-May-2012 - If you are not a condensed matter physicist, vanadium oxide (VO2) may be the coolest material you've never heard of. It's a metal. It's an insulator. It's a window coating and an optical switch. And thanks to a new study by physicists at Rice University, scientists have a new way to reversibly ...

Nanosponges soak up oil again and again

Rice, Penn State nanotube blocks show promise for environmental cleanup, among many uses

18-Apr-2012 - Researchers at Rice University and Penn State University have discovered that adding a dash of boron to carbon while creating nanotubes turns them into solid, spongy, reusable blocks that have an astounding ability to absorb oil spilled in water. That's one of a range of potential innovations for ...

Functionalized graphene oxide plays part in next-generation oil-well drilling fluids

16-Dec-2011 - Graphene's star is rising as a material that could become essential to efficient, environmentally sound oil production. Rice University researchers are taking advantage of graphene's outstanding strength, light weight and solubility to enhance fluids used to drill oil wells. The Rice University ...

Giant flakes make graphene oxide gel

Rice, Colorado discovery could boost metamaterials, high-strength fibers

27-Oct-2011 - Giant flakes of graphene oxide in water aggregate like a stack of pancakes, but infinitely thinner, and in the process gain characteristics that materials scientists may find delicious. A new paper by scientists at Rice University and the University of Colorado details how slices of graphene, the ...