Thermoelectric materials convert waste heat to electricity without pollution. Given the rising cost of energy to run cars, power generators, and heat pumps, the scientific community has been scrutinizing these materials with increased interest. The average automobile engine, for example, wastes up to 60 percent of the power it produces in the form of waste heat.
Dr. Joseph Heremans of Ohio State University has recently developed a thermoelectric material that outperforms the previous leader by 2:1. Entitled thallium-doped lead telluride, the material promises to make cars and other engines more efficient by capturing waste heat without the use of moving parts. Moreover, it operates best between 450 and 950 degrees Fahrenheit, which is a typical temperature range for such engines.
According to Heremans, "The material does all the work. It produces electrical power just like conventional heat engines - steam engines, gas or diesel engines - that are coupled to electrical generators, but it uses electrons as the working fluids instead of water or gases, and makes electricity directly." [Contact:
Dr. Joseph Heremans, Ohio State University.]
Labels: 42, energy, ultraperforming
Bottlestone is a solid surface material designed as an alternative to stone. Made from 80% post-consumer recycled glass, Bottlestone is suitable for a variety of commercial and residential horizontal surface applications, such as countertops, tabletops, and fireplace hearths.
Bottlestone is manufactured from post-consumer glass using a flexible process that allows the inclusion of a wide variety of sources, such as fluorescent light bulbs or waste door and window glass. Because no special cleaning is required, water use is minimized during fabrication - unlike the recycled glass found in some concrete countertops.
Bottlestone also compares favorably to stone and brick in terms of embodied energy and strength. A one-inch thick Bottlestone paver, for example, requires 9,800 BTU/SF, as opposed to 26,750 BTU/SF for a Portland cement paver or 20,000 BTU/SF for a clay paver of equivalent strength.
The material's natural finish has a smooth, slightly polished or honed appearance. A granite sealer or other stone wax can be applied, and Bottlestone may also be polished to achieve a high luster. [Contact:
FireClay Tile, San Jose, CA.]
Labels: 12, glass, repurposed, solid surface
The management of storm water runoff has become a significant environmental and economical challenge in cities. Conventional drainage systems are designed to carry water great distances to large municipal sewer systems. Moreover, storm water is often combined with other sewage, resulting in a significant quantity of waste water that must be processed by overtaxed facilities.
Permapave attempts to address the storm water problem at the source. By allowing storm water to pass through paved surfaces, pressure on local pollution control facilities is reduced while underlying water tables are replenished with much-needed groundwater.
Developed in Australia and New Zealand, the bonded, natural-stone permeable pavers provide a simple and attractive solution to eliminate 100% of gross pollutants with a flow through rate of up to 7.5 gallons per second per square foot. The non-slip pavers are also strong enough to support light traffic areas, such as parking lots, driveways and bicycle paths.
Installed similarly to traditional brick pavers, the durable two-inch-thick material can also be specified as a storm water filtration system. When used in conjunction with a Permapave curbside or footpath bio-retention system, the Permapave system can filter up to 60% of phosphorus, 70% of heavy metals, and 98% of hydrocarbons from storm water, eliminating pollution before it permeates the ground. [Contact:
Permapave Industries, LLC, Syosset, NY.]
Labels: 32, infrastructure, intelligent, paving, stone, water
GreenPix is a solar power-harnessing, light-emitting facade system designed by Simone Giostra and Arup. Integrated with the curtain wall of the Xicui entertainment complex in Beijing near the site of the 2008 Olympics, Greenpix features the largest color LED display on earth.
Greenpix behaves like an organic system, absorbing solar energy during the day and generating light from the same power that evening. Polycrystalline photovoltaic cells are laminated within the glass of the curtain wall and placed with changing density on the entire building’s skin. The density pattern increases the building’s performance, allowing natural light when required by interior program, while reducing heat gain and transforming excessive solar radiation into energy for the media wall. [Researched by James Lu and Eric Phillips / Contact:
Simone Giostra & Partners, Inc., Dumbo, NY]
Labels: 08, glass, light, transformational
Convex Glass was produced and developed by Nathan Allan Glass Studios with the architectural firms Jason/Goldstein and Front Inc. in New York. Exploiting the potential for enhanced dimensionality in glass, the product is produced in rectangular, square, and circular shapes and allows dimensional viewing from both sides.
Convex Glass can be produced in 1/4-inch (.6 cm), 3/8-inch (.95 cm), 1/2-inch (1.3 cm), 5/8-inch (1.6 cm), and 3/4-inch (1.9 cm) single-layered panels and can be safety tempered as well. It is available in clear and low-iron glass. Cast textures and privacy coatings are also available. For projects that require laminating, Nathan Allan has developed a new method of casting panels that enables resin laminating to be successfully applied.
Another new process by Nathan Allan is the Fire-Frost opacity coating. Looking similar to sandblasting in appearance, Fire-Frost has a permanent sealed finish that repels grease, dirt, and fingerprints and allows for easy cleaning. Fire-Frost coatings are used in both indoor and outdoor applications and provide extra layers of opacity to the glass. [Contact:
Nathan Allan Glass Studios Inc., Richmond, BC.]
Labels: 08, glass, multidimensional, window
Exfoliated Graphite Nano-Platelets (xGnP) are new types of nanoparticles made from graphite. These nanoparticles consist of small stacks of graphene that are 1 to 15 nanometers thick, with diameters ranging from sub-micron to 100 microns. Since xGnP is composed of the same material as carbon nanotubes, it shares many of their electrochemical characteristics, although not their tensile strength. The platelet shape, however, offers xGnP edges that are easier to modify chemically for enhanced dispersion in polymers.
Composite materials made with polymers, like plastics, nylon, or rubber, can be made electrically or thermally conductive with the addition of small amounts of xGnP. These nanoparticles can change the fundamental properties of plastics, enabling them to perform more like metals with metallic properties. These new nanoparticles also improve barrier properties, modulus, and surface toughness when used in composites. [Contact:
XG Sciences, Inc., East Lansing, Michigan.]
Labels: 09, metal, recombinant
The depth of designer Kazuko Akamatsu’s Lumi-Line tabletop is only 1/8 inches (.3 centimeters), thanks to engineering ingenuity and a synergistic combination of materials. Akamatsu adhered bundled fiberglass threads to a nonstructural, translucent plastic sheet with a translucent liquid glue. The pattern of the reinforcing “strings” is not random, but rather the result of a structural study to determine how to construct the thinnest tabletop possible. The table surface, reinforcing, and legs all act together as one system in order to resist loads and allow the legs to be placed away from “expected” locations.
While Lumi-Line allows light to pass through its milky surface by day, it assumes an entirely different character at night. Akamatsu imbued the fiber strands with phosphorescence, thus rendering the strings as sharp glowing lines floating midair in the dark. [Contact:
CAt, Tokyo, Japan.]
Labels: 12, light, plastic, recombinant, table
Thermoelectric materials convert waste heat to electricity without pollution. Given the rising cost of energy to run cars, power generators, and heat pumps, the scientific community has been scrutinizing these materials with increased interest. The average automobile engine, for example, wastes up to 60 percent of the power it produces in the form of waste heat.
