Feat of clay: From soil to super material - tech - 17 November 2010 - New Scientist

Feat of clay: From soil to super material - tech - 17 November 2010 - New Scientist The stuff of pottery and piggy banks can be transformed into a nanocomposite that is stronger than steel, light as plastic and cheap as mud

Short Sharp Science: The crack that delayed Discovery

Short Sharp Science: The crack that delayed Discovery A missing chunk of foam insulation was responsible for the breakup of the shuttle Colombia as it re-entered the earth's atmosphere in 2003, causing the deaths of 7 astronauts.After the cracked foam was removed on Tuesday night, cracks were found in an underlying structure called a stringer. Similar cracks were found on an external tank set to be used by the shuttle Atlantis in 2011 and "may be related to the use of lightweight materials in the latest generation of tanks".

Organic solvent system improves catalyst recycling

Organic solvent system improves catalyst recycling Noble metals such as platinum and palladium are becoming increasingly important because of growth in environmentally friendly applications like fuel cells and pollution control catalysts. But the world has limited quantities of these materials, meaning manufacturers will have to rely on efficient recycling processes to help meet the demand.

Rare Earth Metals May Trigger Trade Wars : Discovery News

Rare Earth Metals May Trigger Trade Wars : Discovery News Alternative energy is not the cure for energy security.
A handful of countries, including China, dominate the markets for many rare earth metals.
More domestic mining and new technologies for extracting the useful metals are needed.

Will we cope if the rare earths live up to their name? - tech - 29 October 2010 - New Scientist

Will we cope if the rare earths live up to their name? - tech - 29 October 2010 - New Scientist FOR decades, the world has been busy incorporating the so-called rare earth elements into all manner of high-tech devices, including disc drives, wind turbines and hybrid cars. The messy business of mining the ore and extracting the elements was left to China, and few people in the west cared that the nation controlled 97 per cent of world supply."Rare earth" is an alternative name for the lanthanides - elements 57 to 71 - plus yttrium and scandium, and despite the name most of them were not considered rare at all. The elements hit the headlines a few weeks ago, when China appeared to be blocking exports to Japan and the US. The Chinese government, which has also been tightening its export quotas, claims that it needs to clean up mining procedures and support its own growing demand for rare earths.