Metals

With new manufacturing techniques comes the opportunity for new metal alloys with a range of possible properties. A team of researchers has now developed a new 3D-printable alloy with a specific nanostructure that makes it ultra strong and ductile.

When cooking oil is extracted from peanuts and sunflower seeds, a waste product known as oilseed meal is left behind. New research shows that proteins harvested from that meal can be used to filter heavy metals out of contaminated water.

Researchers have created a new platinum catalyst that remains liquid at room temperature, by mixing tiny amounts with gallium. This new liquid catalyst performs reactions more efficiently than a solid platinum catalyst, using far less of the metal.

Scientists experimenting with the makeup of metal alloys used for medical implants have made a significant breakthrough, resulting in a biomaterial with the flexibility and wear resistance needed for long-term stints in the human body.

With a view to constructing more durable components that can withstand the very harsh environments in an around aircraft and jet engines, NASA researchers have developed a novel metal alloy with an impressive set of qualities at extreme temperatures.

For some time now, antimicrobial bioactive glass has been put forward for use in applications such as medical implants, hospital surfaces and wound dressings. Now, scientists report they have boosted its bacteria-killing effect by over 100 times.

If you're 3D-printing metal parts for use in aircraft or other critical systems, then those parts had better not be defective. A new system allows such items to be checked for structural flaws, quicker and cheaper than ever before.

City University of Hong Kong researchers have accidentally discovered a first-of-its-kind high-entropy alloy that retains its stiffness, and actually becomes springier, instead of softening at high temperature. No other known metals behave this way.

A study is outlining strategies that should be employed by cannabis growers to mitigate the plant’s ability to absorb heavy metals from soil. The study indicates it is possible cannabis contaminated with heavy metals could lead to chronic diseases.

If you wanted to 3D-print an object that was magnetic in some areas only, you'd have to print two items out of different metals, then join them. A new technique, however, allows for the printing of single objects with gradient magnetic qualities.

E-waste is a major environmental hazard, full of valuable metals. Engineers at Rice University have now shown that precious metals and rare earth minerals can be recovered by flash-heating ground-up electronics with a zap of electricity.

Although magnesium is known for being lightweight, riveting pieces of it together can be an involved, energy-intensive process. A new technique is claimed to make doing so much simpler, possibly opening up new uses for the metal.