Winter 2009
In This Issue:
Advanced Coatings
Features:
Research Snapshots
Reports on water splitting, cancer detection, biomimetic coatings, bottom-up nanowire assembly, and polymer microcapsules for drug delivery.
Everything Should Be Coated
In the Advanced Coatings Lab, researchers optimize the performance of coatings
A Splash of Alcohol Eases the Friction When Tiny Gears Meet
What to do when the micromachines stop
Advanced Ceramic Coating for Soldier Protection
A new process to make armor lighter, harder, and safer
Low Temperature Laser Processing Solves a Problem in Smart Materials Manufacturing
Integrating electroceramic thin films into electronic devices
Barbara Shaw Tackles Corrosion
Finding solutions to a $300 billion problem
Cover:
A glass fruit fly hovers over a slice of kiwi in this photo montage illustrating a new coating technique, conformal-evaporated-film-by-rotation (CEFR), developed by researchers at Penn State. CEFR is capable of accurately copying details as tiny as the facets of a fruit fly’s eyes.
Director's Message
This issue of Focus on Materials describes some, but by no means all, of the recent breakthroughs in coating techniques, materials, and applications by our faculty, graduate students, and research staff.
Superhydrophobic Coatings
The Kim group has developed a new water repellant coating.
The NSTI Nanotech Conference and Expo
Stop by and visit the Penn State booth.
