Material Science Archive

Helmets in the NFL are not effective enough to safeguard the health of the players. Players sustain concussions which can not only bench them, but leave life-long brain damage from the accelerations experienced during impact. As part of the project to improve the helmet, simulations were used to test material properties of different components of football helmets, such as hard foams, soft foams, and the shell. Data from the simulations were analyzed with performance metrics provided by the NFL.

A renewed focus on environmental concerns means that fuel efficiency and emissions of engines are of significant importance. A current design for a mixing nozzle exists, but the fuel residence could be higher and the pressure drop could be lower. A longer fuel residence time ensures smooth distribution of fuel and a more efficient burn. A lower pressure drop means that less energy is lost by the motion of the fluid through the mixer.

We are designing a device that will provide a cost-effective method for characterizing whether a particle in water is a plastic or nonplastic, as well as categorizing the subtype of plastic. The device will need to be effective on a scale of approximately one to five microns, which is the size of the microplastic particles.

Identify inexpensive process for in-house purification of motion picture film dye for Kodak.

Characterize LiDestri Food and Drink portfolio of spaghetti sauces to optimize manufacturing process.

Identify Near Infrared transparent polymers to simulate human tissue for surgical training applications at UR Medical Center.

Ten-μ solutions plans to introduce time and cost savings to the operating room (OR) through application-specific single-use instrumentation. Our instrument will allow surgeons to position and tension vessel loops at their discretion.

Optimize creation of composites combining under-utilized hemp fabrics with epoxy.

Test and identify novel gasket polymers to extend operation of Ugandan Water Project-installed India Mark II handpumps serving millions of people fresh, clean water.

Create building materials for developing countries from waste plastic and biochar, and compare to concrete standard.

Controlled, rapid-cooling chamber for initiated chemical vapor deposition of thin film polymers.

Analysis of organic light-emitting diode (OLED) chemical solutions' inkjet printability through range of solution concentrations.