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emerging ceramics & glass technology

March 2016

Refractory
Material Selection
for Steelmaking
NSF awards in Ceramics Program •
Students plan advancement opportunities •
EMA, ICACC 2016 recaps •
Ceramic Leadership Summit, Ceramics Expo •
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 contents March 2016 • Vol. 95 No. 2

feature articles
Refractory Material Selection for Steelmaking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Tom Vert
Excerpt selections by Eileen De Guire
Selecting refractories for steelmaking operations requires detailed analysis of service environ-
ments, knowledge of refractory products and steelmaking operations, and a systematic methodol-
ogy.

National Science Foundation awards in the Ceramics Program

starting in 2015 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Lynnette Madsen
During fiscal year 2015, the Ceramics Program provided support for 36 new or renewal awards, cover story
14 supplemental awards, and cofunding for several grants managed by other programs. Refractory Material Selection for
Steelmaking
Students plan opportunities for advancement within
Credit: iStock
the ceramics and glass community . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Lisa Rueschhoff – page 22
The President’s Council of Student Advisors (PCSA) kicked off its annual business meeting days
before MS&T15. Graduate and undergraduate student leaders from across the globe gathered in
Columbus, Ohio, to plan for the coming year.

meetings
EMA 2016 recap and highlights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
ICACC’16 recap and highlights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
5th Ceramic Leadership Summit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Ceramics Expo 2016 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Glass and Optical Materials Division Annual Meeting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Materials Challenges in Alternative and Renewable Energy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 feature
Innovations in Biomedical Materials and Technologies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 National Science Foundation awards
in the Ceramics Program
columns Credit: Boise State University

– page 30
Deciphering the discipline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Theresa Davey
Expanding my ceramic networks to reach around the world

resources departments
News & Trends . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
New Products . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 ACerS Spotlight . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Calendar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Classified Advertising . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 Ceramics in Biomedicine . . . . . . 13
Display Advertising Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47 Advances in Nanomaterials. . . . 14
Ceramics in Energy. . . . . . . . . . . 15
Research Briefs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

American Ceramic Society Bulletin, Vol. 95, No. 2 | www.ceramics.org 1

 AMERICAN CERAMIC SOCIETY
bulletin
Editorial and Production
contents March 2016 • Vol. 95 No. 2
Eileen De Guire, Editor
ph: 614-794-5828 fx: 614-794-5815
edeguire@ceramics.org
April Gocha, Managing Editor
Connect with ACerS online!
Stephanie Liverani, Associate Editor
Russell Jordan, Contributing Editor
Tess Speakman, Graphic Designer

Editorial Advisory Board http://bit.ly/acerstwitter http://bit.ly/acerslink http://bit.ly/acersgplus http://bit.ly/acersfb http://bit.ly/acersrss

G. Scott Glaesemann, Chair, Corning Incorporated
John McCloy, Washington State University
C. Scott Nordahl, Raytheon Company
Fei Peng, Clemson University
Klaus-Markus Peters, Fireline, Inc.
Gurpreet Singh, Kansas State University
Eileen De Guire, Staff Liaison, The American Ceramic Society
In your hand, on the go, when
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mfish@ceramics.org
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& Technical Publications Want more ceramics and glass news throughout the month?
mmecklenborg@ceramics.org
Subscribe to our e-newsletter, Ceramic Tech Today, and recieve the latest ceramics, glass,
Officers and Society news straight to your inbox every Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday! Sign up at
Mrityunjay Singh, President http://bit.ly/acersctt.
William Lee, President-Elect
Kathleen Richardson, Past President
Daniel Lease, Treasurer Top Tweets Have you connected with @acersnews on Twitter? Here are some recent top posts:
Charles Spahr, Secretary Show me the money
Science agencies see pre-sequestration federal budget levels in FY 2016
Board of Directors
bit.ly/23VdwG0
Michael Alexander, Director 2014–2017
Geoff Brennecka, Director 2014–2017
Manoj Choudhary, Director 2015–2018 Preventing the high
John Halloran, Director 2013–2016 Lucideon’s nanoporous ceramic pills try to prevent painkiller abuse
Martin Harmer, Director 2015–2018 bit.ly/1RWa5uK
Edgar Lara-Curzio, Director 2013–2016
Hua-Tay (H.T.) Lin, Director 2014–2017 Better, lighter, stronger
Tatsuki Ohji, Director 2013–2016 Ceramic nanoparticles infiltrate metal to create lighter, stronger material
Gregory Rohrer, Director 2015–2018 bit.ly/1TIVpo7
David Johnson Jr., Parliamentarian

American Ceramic Society Bulletin covers news and activities of the Society and its members, includes items of interest to the ceramics community, and provides the most current information concerning all aspects of ceramic
technology, including R&D, manufacturing, engineering, and marketing. American Ceramic Society Bulletin (ISSN No. 0002-7812). ©2015. Printed in the United States of America. ACerS Bulletin is published monthly,
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ACSBA7, Vol. 95, No. 2, pp 1–48. All feature articles are covered in Current Contents.

2 www.ceramics.org | American Ceramic Society Bulletin, Vol. 95, No. 2

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 news & trends
Tethon 3D moves toward additive manufacturing of stronger,
harder ceramics with compression-enhanced 3-D printer
Ceramic 3-D-printing com-
pany Tethon 3D is making a
big move to improve additive
manufacturing with challeng-
ing materials—the company
has filed a United States
patent application for a new
printer design that seeks to
optimize additive manufactur-
ing of ceramics.
“There has never been a An object 3-D printed with Tethon 3D’s new com-
powder-based 3-D printer pression-enhanced printer. The object was designed
designed specifically for ceram- as a sphere, so adjustments are needed to achieve
the desired shape and size.
ics before now,” says Karen
Linder, cofounder, president,
and CEO of Tethon 3D, in an email.
“Tethon 3D developed Tethonite
ceramic powder for 3-D printing and
released it in 2014 to solve some of the
problems encountered when 3-D print-
ing ceramics. The new printer design
that we filed the patent for is the next
step in improving the ceramics 3-D
printing industry.”
Tethon 3D’s new printer design
incorporates compression into the addi-
tive-manufacturing process. The com-
pany recently built a prototype design
that “utilizes the compression plate to
apply mechanical pressure to the entire
build bed in repetitive motions at pre-
determined intervals,” Linder says in
the email. “The result is a ceramic 3-D
printed object that is stronger and more Linder adds.
dense than was previously possible.”
Akin to traditional ceramics, com-
Tethon 3D’s logo.
4 www.ceramics.org | American Ceramic Society Bulletin, Vol. 95, No. 2
Gorilla Glass goes fast:
Automotive version of Corning’s
strengthened glass goes in new
Ford GT
The 2017 Ford GT will be the first
production vehicle to incorporate a
windshield of thin-yet-strong Corning
Gorilla Glass.
The GT will have a windshield, rear
Credit: Tethon 3D
window, and rear engine cover made
with Gorilla Glass. According to a
Corning press release, this will save
more than 12 pounds of vehicle weight,
while nonetheless providing a wind-
shield five times stronger than standard
window glass.
pression is the key to making a strong
The GT windshield has three lay-
product. “The act of compression is
ers, the interior of which is a specially
essential for producing strong por-
designed automotive version of Gorilla
celain, stoneware, and earthenware
Glass. The exterior layer is annealed
3-D-printed objects, and this printer
soda-lime glass, with a noise-absorbing
design could possibly also improve the
thermoplastic interlayer in between.
production of objects printed in other
“The result is a windshield and rear
powder materials,” Linder says in a
engine cover approximately 32% lighter
PRweb news release.
than competitive vehicles,” according to
Tethon 3D continues to process
a Ford press release. “During develop-
strength tests for the new 3-D-printed
ment, we tried different glass variations
ceramics, but Linder says in the email
before we found a combination that pro-
that “early results are good.”
vided both weight savings and the dura-
“Additional printing time is required
bility needed for exterior automotive
for the compression sequencing, so we
glass,” Paul Linden, Ford body exteriors
shortened other processing steps to
engineer, continues in the release. “We
ultimately condense the overall length
learned, somewhat counterintuitively,
of time to create a ceramic 3-D printed
that the strengthened interior layer of
object while improving its quality,”
the windshield is key to the success of
the hybrid window.”
After successful testing with the
The Gorilla Glass hybrid windshield
prototype printer, the company is now
is just 3–4 millimeters thick—compared
attempting to patent the design and
to the 4–6 millimeters thickness of tradi-
is evaluating business development
tional laminate—making it 25–50% thin-
partners for engineering and manufac-
ner and approximately 30% lighter than
turing of the new 3-D printer design,
traditional glass, according to a Ford
Linder says.
press release.
Although the timeline will depend
“Plus, the glass is more robust due
on several factors, she adds that com-
to advanced processes for contami-
mercialization of the new 3-D printer
nant reduction, chemical strengthen-
could happen as soon as 12 months. n
ing, unique edge treatment, and lami-
nate construction,” according to the
Ford release.
More robust indeed—Corning’s tests
show that the glass holds up under
assault with a hail gun, which shoots
a sizeable ice ball at the glass at 55
miles per hour. An Associated Press
video showing the tests is available at
youtu.be/3UHzAb8ko24. The sleek new 2017 Ford GT, which
The new glass’s reduced weight will will feature Corning Gorilla Glass in
improve vehicle handling by lowering its windshield, rear window, and rear

the center of gravity and will have a posi-
tive impact on acceleration, fuel econo-
my, and braking performance, according
to Ford.
According to the auto giant, Ford
approached Corning to develop auto-
motive applications of Gorilla Glass in
response to vehicle lightweighting efforts.
engine cover.
“This collaboration demonstrates
what Corning does best—applying our
expertise in glass and materials science
to help industry leaders solve tough chal-
lenges, unleash new capabilities, and
enhance experiences for customers,”
Credit: Ford
Wendell P. Weeks, Corning chairman
and CEO, says in the Ford release.
Although Gorilla glass—stronger,
thinner, lighter, better—seems like a no-
brainer for auto applications, it does not
come cheap. According to the Associated

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American Ceramic Society Bulletin, Vol. 95, No. 2 | www.ceramics.org 5

 news & trends
Press story, it costs an extra $2–$4 per
pound of saved weight in comparison to
traditional glass.
And price is not all—there are other
issues to consider before Gorilla Glass
replaces all vehicle glass. According to
the AP story, “Gorilla Glass doesn’t work
everywhere. The side windows of the GT,
for example, are made of tempered glass.
Automakers tend to use tempered glass
on side windows because it breaks into
tiny pieces and doesn’t have a plastic layer
that could hinder someone from exiting
the vehicle in a crash. Doug Harshbarger,
business director of Corning’s automotive
glass business, says Corning is working on
alternate ways of designing Gorilla Glass
for use throughout the vehicle.”
The new 600-horsepower Ford GT
supercar will begin production in late 2016
and will retail for about $400,000. n
Five new consumer electronics
trends debut at CES 2016
The 2016 Consumer Electronics
Show—a global consumer electronics and
technology tradeshow held every January
in Las Vegas, Nev.—drew more than
3,200 exhibitors from around the world,
including manufacturers, developers,
and suppliers of consumer technology
hardware, content, and delivery, to show
off new gadgets the industry will release
into the hands of eager techies through-
out the year.
From virtual reality to auto, to smart-
er tech across the board, media outlets
at the show reported on trends at this
year’s event—and there seemed to be five
major consumer technology areas com-
peting for the 2016 spotlight.
• Smart home technology gets
smarter. The demand for smarter and
more efficient homes continues, from
basic security monitoring to customized
access to appliances, lighting, window
coverings, and entertainment systems.
CES 2016 showed-off the latest smart
home gadgets consumers can expect to
see this year.
• Revamped virtual reality. CES
attendees discovered where digital infor-
6 www.ceramics.org | American Ceramic Society Bulletin, Vol. 95, No. 2
mation and the real world connect to cre-
ate a unique and all-inclusive experience
at this year’s event. “Through specially
designed hardware and software full of
cameras, sensors, algorithms, and more,
your perception of reality can be instantly
altered in context with your environment:
sports scores on TV during a match, path
of trajectory overlaid on an image, gam-
ing, construction plans, and more,” teases
the CES website.
• Robots take center stage. The
robotics exhibition at CES showcased
the latest intelligent, autonomous
machines that are changing the way we
live. This year, expect to see robots that
can connect to cloud storage and “are
controllable by mobile device and capa-
ble of seeing, hearing, and reacting to
the environment in ways once thought
impossible,” says the CES website.
• Advancements in automatic autos.
“Vehicle intelligence explores the road
to driverless mobility this year,” says the
CES website. Attendees saw demos of
a wide variety of technologies that sup-
port the future of automated driving,
including features like parking assist,
Business news
ORNL, Solid Power sign exclusive license
for lithium–sulfur battery tech (ornl.gov)…
NASA announces public–private partner-
ships for emerging space capabilities
(nasa.gov)…Secretary Moniz awards
$125M for transformational energy tech
projects (arpa-e.energy.gov)…LTI
acquires Remtec Inc. (legacytechnolo
gies.com)…Quintus hot isostatic press to
support research at ORNL (quintus
technologies.com)…Schott’s ultra-thin
glass used in fingerprint sensors in new
smartphones (schott.com)…Anderman
Ceramics supplies extra-large quartz tube
(earthwaterfire.com)…Missouri S&T
partners with industry to grow ceramic
engineering (mst.edu)…Dow announces
transaction to restructure ownership of
Dow Corning Corp. (dowcorning.com)…
Rio Tinto approves $1.9B Amrun bauxite
project (riotinto.com)…PPT accelerates
Credit: The Verge; YouTube
A reporter from The Verge tries out the
latest offering from virtual reality tech
company Immersit at CES 2016 in Las
Vegas.
collision avoidance, and automatic
emergency braking.
• Wearables users actually want to
wear. From high-tech smart fashion to
bracelets that track moods to the newest
augmented reality devices, wearables get
more sophisticated this year. The latest
technologies debuted features like low
energy Bluetooth, cloud computing, 3-D
printing, and flexible membranes that
will transform this market. n
time-to-market with spray dryer and emis-
sions control capabilities (pptechnology.
com)…Morgan brings its ceramics to
HIFU transducers (morgantechnicalce-
ramics.com)…DOE announces $35M
to advance hydrogen and fuel cell tech
(energy.gov)…Lucideon releases new
standard for domestic and hospitality
ceramic tableware (lucideon.com)…
Sigma Corp. unveils first ceramic-glass fil-
ter for DSLR camera lenses (sigmaphoto
.com)…Corning and Duke Energy strike
25-year solar energy pact (corning.com)...
Alcoa announces multiyear supply con-
tracts with Boeing valued at more than
$2.5B (alcoa.com)…Air Products moves
forward with Materials Technologies
business spin-off to Versum Materials
(airproducts.com)…Ceramco launches
e-commerce portal for ceramic fasteners
(ceramcoceramics.com) n
 Credit: Susy Morris; Flickr CC BY-NC 2.0
Reality television show “The Great Pottery Throwdown” brings
pottery to primetime and educates viewers on the science
behind ceramics.

Communicating ceramics through pottery—and

primetime TV—and an ACerS expert
What happens when pottery is added to primetime?
In the case of BBC2 reality television show “The Great
Pottery Throwdown,” the answer is about two million inter-
ested viewers.
The challenge-style show plots 10 potters against one anoth-
er to vie for the title of Top Potter in the United Kingdom.
Each episode features a different pottery challenge, putting
potters on the spot to create porcelain tea sets, bone china
chandeliers, and hand-coiled sinks, for example.
In addition to entertaining at the potter’s wheel, however,
the show goes one step further—it uses scientific experts to
link the show’s traditional ceramics to the world of more
high-tech advanced ceramics.
Included in the show’s cadre of experts is none other than
ACerS President-elect Bill Lee. “My role is to explain some of the
technical detail underlying the processes the potters use, such as
clay firing and raku firing,” Lee says in an email. On the show,
April 26-28, 2016, Cleveland, Ohio
Lee then links that technical detail to engineering ceramics.
“I have worked in almost all areas of ceramics—including Visit us at Booth 329
clay-based ceramics (roof tiles, whitewares, porcelain, and bone
china), electroceramics, structural ceramics, refractories, nucle-
ar ceramics, ultra-high-temperature ceramics, glass, and glass-
ceramics—so I am very comfortable trying to link traditional
with modern advanced types,” Lee says. “What the program
really highlighted was that the potters’ technology is very much
the same as that of the ceramic engineer.”
Lee recently sat down with science communicators at his
home institution, Imperial College London, to tape an episode
of Imperial’s podcast about his role as a ceramics superstar.
Lee is no stranger to podcasts, so he had no problem putting
his role on the TV show in perspective in the Imperial taping:
“You have to highlight what you do and put it in context for
people. And there are a lot of people who make pots and have
to have an understanding of clay. There are even fewer who have
understanding of engineering ceramics—so if you can get those
people interested in a technical sense, that’s got to be good.”
Listen to Lee’s excerpt from the Imperial podcast at wwwf.
imperial.ac.uk/imedia/content/view/5081. n

American Ceramic Society Bulletin, Vol. 95, No. 2 | www.ceramics.org 7

 acers spotlight
Society and Division news
Welcome to our newest
Corporate Members!
ACerS welcomes organizations that
have joined the Society as Corporate
Members. Thanks for joining! For
more information on becoming a
Corporate Member, contact Mark
Mecklenborg at mmecklenborg@
ceramics.org, or visit www.ceramics.
org/corporate.
CIRIA India Ltd. (Morgan Advanced
Materials Co.)
Noida, India
morganadvancedmaterials.com
Elan Technology
Midway, Ga.
elantechnology.com
Saint-Gobain Ceramics & Plastics
Northboro, Mass.
saint-gobain.com
Nutec Bickley
Santa Catarina, Mexico
nutecbickley.com
Sharp Corp.
Tenri, Japan
sharp-world.com
Union Process Inc.
Akron, Ohio
unionprocess.com
8 www.ceramics.org | American Ceramic Society Bulletin, Vol. 95, No. 2
Larry Hench—inventor of Bioglass and children’s author—
dies at age 77
Larry Hench, ACerS Distinguished
Life Member and Fellow, lost his battle
with cancer on Dec. 16, 2015, at age 77.
In his letter nominating Hench
for Distinguished Life Member, Gary
Messing says of Hench, “What a wonder-
ful life ambassador he has been for our
discipline.” Hench leaves an enormous,
gently placed footprint in the world of
materials science and medical science.
Throughout his career, Hench
held appointments at the University
of Florida, Imperial College London,
and, most recently, Florida Institute
of Technology. Most of Hench’s
research focused on glasses, especially
for biological applications. He is best
known for having discovered Bioglass,
the first synthetic material that bonds
to living tissues.
Hench discovered Bioglass in 1969,
just five years after earning his Ph.D.
from Ohio State University, where he Hench published hundreds of papers,
also earned his B.S. Bioglass was the books, and proceedings over his long
first synthesized material that inter- career. However, the publications he
acted with the body to initiate heal- talked about most were his six books
ing. Its discovery marked a significant for children about the adventures of a
shift in how researchers could think bionic cat named Boing-Boing.
about biomaterials. Hench had a big heart, and he
As recently as the 2014 ACerS touched many lives through his work as
Bioceramics meeting, Hench presented a scientist, health advocate, children’s
his ideas for ways materials could author, colleague, mentor, and friend.
improve quality of life for the aged or Scientists do not often see directly the
impact of their work, but Hench did.
injured by replacing or helping to regrow
not just bones and teeth, but urethra, He responded with gratitude that his
work helped so many people heal and
trachea, cartilage, and even organs such
as kidneys. regain health. n
The scientific challenges of engineer-
In memoriam
ing biomaterials appealed to Hench’s
intellect and curiosity, but his generos- Maynard P. Bauleke
ity and humility drove him to use his Peter Fischer
Irwin Gordon
unique training and talents to improve
Larry Hench
the human condition. He embraced that Cornelius T. Moynihan
conversation in books, in presentations Haydn H. Murray
such as the 2013 Rustum Roy lecture,
Some detailed obituaries also can be found
and in a short course series he recorded on the ACerS website, ceramics.org/in-
for ACerS. memoriam.
 Every
Nanometer
counts

St. Louis Section/RCD 52nd Annual
Symposium: St. Louis Section/RCD 52nd Annual
The new Dilatometer
Schedule at-a-glance Symposium: March 30–31 DIL 402 Expedis
ACerS St. Louis Section and the with revolutionary
March 29, 2016
5 p.m. Kickoff event – St. Louis Blues hockey
Refractory Ceramics Division (RCD) NanoEye measuring cell
Game will hold their 52nd annual symposium
March 30–31. “Refractories for the
March 30, 2016 t the
ferrous industry: A historical perspec- abou :
7:15 a.m. Registration and coffee ou t more chnology
Find noEye te 2285
6
8 a.m. Welcome and introductions tive, present, and future directions” N a
new etzsch.co
m /n
St. Louis Section Chairman www
.n
Roger Smith, Imrie-Gielow Inc.
is the theme for this year’s meeting at
Refractory Ceramics Division Chair the Hilton St. Louis Airport Hotel in
Ben Markel, Resco Products St. Louis, Mo. A kickoff event will be
Co-Program Coordinators
Simon Leiderman, U.S. Steel Research and held at the St. Louis Blues hockey game
Technology March 29.
Bill Davis, Harbison-Walker
8:15 a.m. Morning technical sessions Organizers for the event include
• Overview of blast furnace hearth Simon Leiderman of U.S. Steel
construction
• Evolution of anhydrous taphole clay in
Research and Technology and Bill Davis
NAFTA – 1970s to present
• Use of metals in refractories
of Harbison-Walker. Register by March
25 to receive the discounted rate.
Every
DIL 402 Expedis Supreme

Nanometer
• Changes in North American blast furnace
operations and their effect on casthouse A discounted block of rooms ($107
refractory practice – 1970s to present per single/double per night) has been
• Trends in clean steel technology and
reserved at the Hilton. When booking
refractory engineering
• Raw materials used in tundish linings and your accommodations, refer to Group counts
their effect on performance
1 p.m. Afternoon sessions
Code ACT. All reservations must be
• Presentation of T.J. Planje-St. Louis received on or before March 7. For
Refractories Award to Bjørn Myhre, Elkem more information, contact Patty Smith
Silicon Materials
• Possibilities to determine refractories' at 573-341-6265 or psmith@mst.edu.
influence on inclusion formation during For more event and registration infor- The new Dilatometer
clean steel production
• Engineering refractory aggregates – mation, including a list of tabletop DIL 402 Expedis
potentials to facilitate the installation and exhibitors, visit ceramics.org/sections/ with revolutionary
improve the performance of refractories
• New higher temperature resistant
st-louis-section. n NanoEye measuring cell
microporous insulation for molten iron and
steel refractory applications
• Development of a novel hybrid method for the Planje Award the
bout
production of macroporous foam ceramics
The 2016 Theodore J. t more a nology:
ou h
4:45 p.m. RCD annual members meeting Find noEye tec n22856
5–7 p.m. Exposition and cocktail hour Planje–St. Louis Refrac- Na m/
new etzsch.co
7 p.m. Dinner .n
tories Award will be pre- www
March 31, 2016 sented to Bjørn Myhre of
6:30 a.m. Refractory Ceramics Division breakfast Elkem Silicon Materials
meeting
8:15 a.m. Morning technical sessions in Oslo, Norway, where
• Steel related refractory research at the he works in research and Myhre
PSMRC
• A first approach to in-situ spinel development regarding uses of micro-
formation in Al2O3-MgO systems silica and other raw materials for the
• Slide gate refractories and systems:
Adapted solutions for high-quality steel
refractory industry. An ACerS member
• A study of the kinetics for carbon transfer and member of the Refractory Division,
from magnesia-graphite ladle refractories Myhre has authored and co-authored DIL 402 Expedis Supreme
to ultra low carbon steel
• Heat transfer, erosion, and stress analysis approximately 85 papers on refractory
for refractory castables, holds one patent, and has two
• Steelmaking refractories - 2030 dream
scenario patent applications pending. n
12 p.m. Questions and discussion
12:30 p.m. St. Louis Section officer business meeting
and lunch

American Ceramic Society Bulletin, Vol. 95, No. 2 | www.ceramics.org 9

 acers spotlight

Electronics Division awards top

Society and Division news (continued) papers, posters winners at
EMA 2016
Names in the news Congratulations to the winners of the best
Martin P. Harmer, Gregory S. Journal of the American Ceramic Society, student oral presentations and best student
Rohrer, and Elizabeth Holm and Elizabeth Holm—both professors posters during the 2016 ACerS Electronic
awarded grant for anti-thermal of materials science and engineering at Materials and Applications meeting in
materials research Carnegie Mellon University. n Orlando, Fla.
The W.M. Keck Best Student Oral Presentations
Foundation has awarded
Raj N. Singh honored for • First place: Kyle P. Kelley, North Carolina
a $1 million grant to scholarly contributions State University, “Doping control in epitax-
Lehigh University to Raj N. Singh, ACerS ial thin films via reactive RF co-sputtering”
study and discover the Fellow and head of • Second place: Jeffrey L. Braun,
mechanisms that govern the Oklahoma State University of Virginia, “Thermal conduc-
Harmer University School tivity of amorphous silicon thin films:
anti-thermal processes
that appear to reverse of Materials Science Effects of size and elastic modulus”
nature. The grant was and Engineering, • Third place: Steven Brewer, Georgia
Singh Williams Companies Institute of Technology, “Effect of top
awarded to ACerS
Fellow and Distinguished Distinguished Chair Professor, and electrode material on radiation-induced
Life Member Martin director of Energy Technologies degradation of ferroelectric thin films”
P. Harmer, Alcoa programs, was honored recently as Best Student Posters
Rohrer an OSU Regents Professor at the
Foundation professor • First place: Daniel M. Long, North
of Materials Science and Engineering University Awards Convocation. The Carolina State University, “Band align-
at Lehigh, for his project titled “Anti- title of Regents Professor recognizes a ment characterization of barium tita-
thermal behavior of materials: Reversing scholar or creative artist of exceptional nate interfaces”
the trend of nature.” Harmer's collabo- ability who has achieved national and • Second place: Gerardo Rodríquez
rators are Gregory S. Rohrer, ACerS international distinction. n Hernández, University of Oxford, U.K.,
Fellow and associate editor of the “Study of Ge2Sb2Te5 properties for
opto-electronic applications”
• Third place: Dong Hou, North
ACERS–NIST Carolina State University, “Tempera-
ture-induced average and local structur-
PHASE al changes of BaTiO3-Bi(Zn0.5Ti0.5)O3” n

NEW4.1
i o n
EQUILIBRIA 2016 Future Leaders Program at
Ceramic Leadership Summit
Vers rium

of P
hase
E q uilib
Soo
n! DIAGRAMS Nominate the rising stars in your orga-
nization for the ACerS Future Leaders
ing Program. Held in conjunction with the
Com FOR CERAMIC SYSTEMS
5th Ceramic Leadership Summit, the
ACerS Future Leaders Program provides
leadership development training for an
elite group of young professionals who
are making their mark in the ceramic
Version 4.0 contains and glass industry. The program includes
25,000 phase diagrams, full participation in the Ceramic
Leadership Summit and opportunities to
637 new figures and
interact with expert speakers and other
1,000 new diagrams. high-level participants. A maximum of
four future leaders per company may be
ORDER TODAY ceramics.org/phase nominated. Visit ceramics.org/future-
leadersprogram for more information. n

10 www.ceramics.org | American Ceramic Society Bulletin, Vol. 95, No. 2

 Student and outreach
•Functional ceramics: Ferroelectric, piezoelectric, multifer-
roic; and
•Industrial issues.
The program will take place prior to the ECerS
Electroceramics XV conference, which will be held in Limoges,
France, June 27–29. ACerS is offering up to $1,500 in travel
support to selected students from non-European based uni-
versities. Visit ceramics.org/acers-blog/ecers-summer-school-in-
france for more information. n

Nomination deadline for Basic Science GEMS

Awards March 15
Sponsored by ACerS Basic Science Division, the annual
Graduate Excellence in Materials Science (GEMS) Awards rec-
ognize the outstanding achievements of up to 10 graduate stu-
Winter Workshop creates learning, networking dents in materials science and engineering. The award is open
to graduate students making oral presentations in any sympo-
opportunities for global young professionals sium at MS&T16. If you are interested in these awards, go to
ACerS first-ever Winter Workshop brought students and matscitech.org and submit your paper by March 15, 2016. n
young professionals to Florida on January 22–25, 2016. The
workshop combined technical and professional develop-
ment sessions and a trip to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center,
nestled in between participation in two technical confer-
ences—Electronic Materials and Applications 2016 and 40th ENGINEERED SOLUTIONS
FOR POWDER COMPACTION
International Conference and Expo on Advanced Ceramics
and Composites.
After getting started on the momentum of EMA’s conclud-
Gasbarre | PTX-Pentronix | Simac
ing day, workshop attendees traveled to the University of
Central Florida’s CREOL College of Optics, where they heard
expert presentations on advanced characterization, toured
optics and photonics research labs, and participated in pro-
fessional development sessions. Professionals provided early HIGH SPEED, MECHANICAL, AND
career guidance on topics including advice on how to perfect HYDRAULIC POWDER
COMPACTION PRESSES
the elevator pitch and some thoughts on how to use—and not FOR UNPRECEDENTED ACCURACY,
use—social media to promote a professional identity. REPEATABILITY, AND PRODUCTIVITY
Attendees had ample opportunities to network with profes-
sionals in academia and industry and with peers, providing a
rich experience for students and post-docs to learn, engage,
and build their professional paths. n

ECerS announces electroceramics summer MONOSTATIC AND DENSOMATIC

ISOSTATIC PRESSES
school in France, June 23–25 FEATURING DRY BAG PRESSING
The European Ceramic Society (ECerS) will host a sum-
mer school program June 23–25 in Limoges, France. This
year’s program will focus on process, microstructure, and
properties of electroceramics. Topics include:
• Low temperature synthesis, shaping and innovative tech-
nologies (3-D printing); 814.371.3015
• Microstructure–properties relationships in heterogeneous www.gasbarre.com
ceramics;

American Ceramic Society Bulletin, Vol. 95, No. 2 | www.ceramics.org 11

 acers spotlight

Student and outreach
(continued)
Refractories scholarship
opportunities
The Refractories Institute (TRI) will
award a limited number of scholarships
for the 2016–2017 academic year based
on academic merit and demonstrated
experience and interest in the field of
refractories. Scholarships will be award-
ed as one-time grants of $5,000 each and
are available to college undergraduate
or graduate students studying in North
America who are enrolled full-time for
the 2015-2016 academic year in pursuit
of an undergraduate or advanced degree
in ceramic engineering, materials science
or similar discipline. Deadline for appli-
cations is March 11. For more informa-
tion, visit refractoriesinstitute.org. n
First endowment fund established to support ceramic materials students
The Ceramics and Glass Industry Foundation (CGIF) announced its first permanently endowed
fund—the Theodore H. Church Student Leadership Fund—to help support ACerS student lead-
ership program the President’s Council of Student Advisors (PCSA).
The fund was established by a gift from the Theodore H. Church Foundation, which was founded
by Theodore (Ted) H. Church, former president and owner of Superior Technical Ceramics in
Saint Albans, Vt. Before his death in 2008, Church was active in many social and professional
organizations, including the Association of American Ceramic Component Manufacturers, ACerS,
and the National Association of Manufacturers. His foundation was established to continue sup-
porting his many philanthropic interests.
"We are very excited about the Theodore H. Church Student Leadership Fund at CGIF,” says
Brian H. Gold, vice president of Corporate Development at Superior Technical Ceramics, the
company founded by Church. “Ted always held higher education in highest regard. The PCSA
represents some of the finest up and coming professionals in our industry. We are proud to
participate in their development.”
Lisa Rueschoff, Ph.D. candidate at Purdue University and PCSA chair, expressed gratitude on
behalf of the PCSA. “The PCSA is very grateful for this generous support that will allow us to
provide even more outreach, learning, and growth opportunities to young students and leaders
in the ceramic and glass materials community."
The Theodore H. Church Student Leadership Fund will provide the PCSA with a steady stream of
support and help increase its ability to attract, inspire, and train the next generation of ceramic
and glass professionals.
To find out more about the CGIF and to learn how you can help, visit foundation.ceramics.org or
contact Marcus Fish, CGIF development director, at 614-794-5863 or mfish@ceramics.org. n

Awards and deadlines

Deadline for upcoming award nominations is May 15
NEW! Samuel Geijsbeek PACRIM
International Award
This new award recognizes individu-
als who are members of the Pacific Rim
Conference (PACRIM) societies for
contributions to the field of ceramics
and glass technology that have resulted
in significant industrial and/or academ-
ic impact, international advocacy, and
visibility of the field. Two Geijsbeek
awards will be presented at PACRIM
2017. The Geijsbeek Award consists of
a certificate and $1,000 honorarium.
study in glass science or technology. The
recipient will receive a plaque, a check
for $500, and free MS&T registration.
Electronics: Edward C. Henry Award
This annual award recognizes an out-
standing paper reporting original work
in the Journal of the American Ceramic
Society or the ACerS Bulletin during the
previous calendar year on a subject relat-
ed to electronic ceramics. The author(s)
will be presented with a plaque and
$500 (split between authors).
science and engineering. The 2016 essay
topic is: electronic ceramics for electrical
or electromagnetic energy control.
How to nominate
Additional information and nomina-
tion forms for these awards can be found
at ceramics.org/awards. Contact Marcia
Stout at mstout@ceramics.org with any
questions. The deadline to submit nomi-
nations for these awards is May 15. n

Glass & Optical Materials: Alfred R. Electronics: Lewis C. Hoffman Scholarship

Cooper Scholars Award
This award recognizes undergraduate
students who have demonstrated excel-
lence in research, engineering, and/or
The purpose of this $2,000 tuition www.ceramics.org/
award is to encourage academic interest
and excellence among undergraduate ceramictechtoday
students in the area of ceramics/materials

12 www.ceramics.org | American Ceramic Society Bulletin, Vol. 95, No. 2

 ceramics in biomedicine
Bioglass goes big: Bioactive
glass repairs large bone defects
An international team—including
researchers from Shanghai Jiaotong
University and Tongji University in
China and Lawrence Berkeley National
Lab in California—has developed a tech-
nique for producing bioactive glass scaf-

Credit: Qiang Fu
folds that alone can repair successfully
large defects in load-bearing bones.
“This is the first demonstration of a
synthetic material that can bridge a large Direct ink writing can deposit bioglass scaffolds layer by layer (left), fabricating intri-
segmental bone defect, without using cate and porous structures (middle) that can be implanted in bone. Micro-CT image
(right) of a 2B63 scaffold implanted in a rabbit femur bone (* = glass scaffold, # =
growth factors or bone marrow stromal
mineralized callus, ‡ = trabecular bone).
cells, in a relatively large animal (rabbit)
model,” Qiang Fu, senior author on the
paper, says in an email. Fu helped develop the glass scaf- large animal models and clinical practice.”
folds at Berkley Lab and is now with Corning Incorporated. The paper, published in Advanced Healthcare Materials,
Using direct ink writing, the team fabricated two types is “Bioactive glass for large bone repair” (DOI: 10.1002/
of scaffolds with different bioglass compositions, silicate adhm.201500447). n
glass 13-93 and borosilicate glass 2B6Sr. The technique,
which builds structures layer by layer, allows precise con-
trol of microstructure by creating regular pores in the bio-
glass scaffold.
Before even testing how well the scaffolds could integrate
with living bone, however, the researchers demonstrated
that the strength of 3-mm cubic samples of their bioglass
scaffolds were far superior to previously reported scaffolds.
According to Berkeley Lab, the bioglass scaffolds are ~100
times stronger than polymer scaffolds and 4–5 times stron-
ger than ceramic and glass scaffolds with similar porosities.
Such high strength means that the researchers could
implant 6-mm × 10-mm samples of the bioglass scaffolds
into rabbit femur bones. Nine months after the rabbits
received their bioglass fix, the scientists took a closer look
at how well the bones repaired themselves. Compared with
the gold standard autologous bone grafts, the bioglass scaf-
folds repaired bone equally as well.
Rabbit cells had infiltrated the scaffolds, which dissolved
to help rebuild new bone with their constituent elements.
In the paper, the authors explain, “The release of soluble Si,
Ca, P, and Na ions as a result of glass surface reaction and
degradation is reported to give rise to the osteoinductive
and osteogenic properties in bioactive glass.” The scaffolds
resorbed as they did so, leaving behind only repaired bone.
Perhaps most importantly, the researchers also showed
that after nine months, bioglass-regenerated bone was just
as hard as normal bone.
Fu says, “The unique combination of high strength, high
porosity, and excellent bioactivity is believed to contrib-
ute to their superior performance. Our work opens a new 303-433-5939
avenue for the reconstruction of large bone defects in both

American Ceramic Society Bulletin, Vol. 95, No. 2 | www.ceramics.org 13

 advances in nanomaterials
Graphene microphone concept
surpasses traditional tech with
ultrasonic reach potential
Researchers at the University of
Belgrade, Serbia, have developed a
“graphene-based microphone that is
about 32 times more sensitive than
microphones of standard nickel-based
construction,” according to a recent
Institute of Physics news release.
“We wanted to show that graphene,
although a relatively new material, has
potential for real-world applications,”
Marko Spasenovic, one of the researchers,
explains in the news release. “Given its
light weight, high mechanical strength,
and flexibility, graphene just begs to be
used as an acoustic membrane material.”
The team found that using graphene
to create a vibrating membrane—the part
of a microphone that converts sound
to current—increased the microphone’s
sensitivity to 15 dB. Current commercial
microphones are capable of frequencies
only up to 11 kHz.
“The graphene membrane, approxi-
mately 60 layers thick, was grown on a
nickel foil using chemical vapor deposi-
tion, to ensure consistent quality across
all the samples,” the news release explains.
“During production, the nickel foil was
etched away and the graphene membrane
placed in the same housing as a commer-
cial microphone for comparison.”
Then the researchers upped the ante
using a 300-layer-thick graphene mem-
brane to test potential ultrasonic reach.
“A thicker graphene membrane
theoretically could be stretched further,
enabling ultrasonic performance, but
we’re just not quite there yet experimen-
tally,” Spasenovic says.
Although the microphone performed
as well as the team anticipated, Spas-
enovic says there are still challenges to
overcome regarding graphene produc-
tion—especially the costs associated with
it—before their microphone can be pro-
duced at scale.
“At this stage there are several
obstacles to making cheap graphene, so
our microphone should be considered
14
many are made out of metal. That means
when they’re twisted or pulled too much,
they stop working. But for sensors to
monitor the full range of a body’s bend-
ing and stretching, they need a lot more
give,” according to an American Chemi-
cal Society news release about the study.
To increase the flexibility factor, other
Credit: Matthew Keefe; Flickr CC BY 2.0
researchers have turned to using stretch-
able plastics and silicones. “But what they
gained in flexibility, they lost in sensitiv-
ity,” the release explains.
Malcolm Xing, professor of engineer-
ing at the University of Manitoba in
A new graphene microphone concept Canada, and his colleagues found that
could go where traditional microphones
chewing gum could make an effectively
cannot reach—into the ultrasonic range.
supple sensor.
more a proof of concept,” Spasenovic To make the sensor, a team member
says. “The industry is working hard to chewed a typical piece of gum for 30
improve graphene production—eventu- minutes, washed it with ethanol and let
ally this should mean we have better it sit overnight. Then, the team added
microphones at lower cost.” the sensing material—a solution of car-
The paper, published in 2D Materi- bon nanotubes.
als, is “Multilayer graphene condenser “Simple pulling and folding coaxed
microphone” (DOI:10.1088/2053- the tubes to align properly. Human
1583/2/4/045013). n finger-bending and head-turning tests
showed the material could keep working
with high sensitivity even when strained
Chewing gum and carbon nano- 530%,” the release explains.
tubes stick together to create The sensor also could detect humid-
new stretchable, wearable sensor ity changes, a feature that could be used
to track breathing, which releases water
Inspiration for innovations in
vapor each time a person exhales.
materials science can come from unex-
The paper, published in ACS Applied
pected sources.
Materials & Interfaces, is “Gum sensor:
For example, scientists are develop-
A stretchable, wearable, and foldable
ing a new stretchable, wearable sensor
sensor based on carbon nanotube/chew-
made from something found stuck to
ing gum membrane” (DOI: 10.1021/
the bottom of a shoe on an unlucky
acsami.5b08276). n
day: chewing gum.
Scientists report in
ACS Applied Materials
& Interfaces a unique
sensing device made
of chewing gum and
carbon nanotubes that
can move and bend
Credit: Bodie Strain; Flickr CC BY 2.0
with the body and
accurately track vitals,
such as breathing.
“Most conventional
sensors today are very
sensitive and detect the Chewing gum’s stretchability has inspired a new wearable
slightest movement, but sensor.
www.ceramics.org | American Ceramic Society Bulletin, Vol. 95, No. 2
 ceramics in energy
Jülich ceramic fuel cell sets world record with 70,000 hours of continuous service
Researchers at Forschungszentrum
Jülich research center (Jülich, Germany)
have made a significant advance—they
have set a world record for the longest
continually running solid oxide fuel cell
(SOFC), a major achievement for fuel
cells everywhere.
The Jülich fuel cell began its experi-
ment on August 6, 2007, and has been
running ever since. That is longer than
8 years, or more than 70,000 hours, of

Credit: Forschungszentrum Jülich

continuous runtime.
Siemens Westinghouse Power
Corporation held the previous world
record with its tubular ceramic fuel
cell, which ran for a continuous 69,000 Jülich scientists responsible for the record accomplishment (from left): Ludger Blum,
hours. Instead of tubular, the Jülich cell Norbert H. Menzler, Jürgen Malzbender, Bert de Haart, and Margaritis Nikolaos.
is flat, providing lower internal resis-
tance that allows higher power density at reduced tempera- 2010. Researchers say the refined stack, after ~34,500
tures, according to a Jülich press release. hours, has aged only half as fast as the record-breaking cell,
Like most SOFCs, the Jülich-developed cell runs off hydro- indicating even more hope for the future of fuel cells. n
gen, but also can adapt to methane fuel sources. According
to the release, the cell’s continuous operation has used
hydrogen to generate 3,400 kilowatt hours of electricity,
“enough to supply a household with electricity for a year.”
High-temperature fuel cells, such as the Jülich cell, can
deliver high electrical efficiencies of up to 60%, but, to do
that, the cells heat up to temperatures of around 700°C.
So, if the cell is to continually withstand that heat, its mate-
rials must be chosen carefully—luckily, ceramics are perfect
materials for such a demanding environment. Laboratory Furnaces & Ovens
The Jülich researchers used more than 20 years of SOFC • Horozontal & Vertical Tube Furnaces,
research experience to innovate their record-breaking fuel Single and Multi-Zone
cell. Jülich, which holds 95 patents for SOFC components,
developed many of the cell’s components in-house. “These • Box Furnaces & Ovens
include the ceramic cells, the contact layers, and a special • Temperatures up to 1700°C
glass-ceramic that is used because of the high temperatures • Made in the U.S.A.
for sealing,” according to the release. One exception is the
stack’s intermediate plate material, which was developed by • Available within
Plansee SE (Reutte, Austria). Two Weeks
Although SOFCs can theoretically run as long as fuel is SmartControl Touch
Screen Control System
supplied, the cells age with time—their materials degrade
with continual cycling, decreasing performance. This moti-
vates the challenge of maintaining a fuel cell for 5–10 years
of runtime, the cutoff to make the technology economically
viable. Significant aging of fuel cells can prohibit the units
from reaching that target time.
Measurement of the Jülich cell put its aging rate at just
~ 0.6% per 1,000 hours of operation. But, the researchers
say they can do much better—the team refined its fuel cell
stack after the initial experiment was launched in 2007. www.thermcraftinc.com • info@thermcraftinc.com
+1.336.784.4800
That new fuel cell formulation began its own trial run in

American Ceramic Society Bulletin, Vol. 95, No. 2 | www.ceramics.org 15

 ceramics in energy
New solar cell design uses ‘invisible’ nanowires to harness power potential of reflected light
A recent development in the race to
improve the efficiency of solar cells, devel-
oped by scientists at Stanford University
(Stanford, Calif.), suggests a novel meth-
od for redirecting sunlight that is other-
wise reflected away and lost in standard
solar cells.
“A solar cell is basically a semicon-
ductor, which converts sunlight into
electricity, sandwiched between metal
contacts that carry the electrical current,”
a Stanford News article about the research
explains. “But this widely used design has
a flaw: The critical but shiny metal on top
of the cell reflects sunlight away from the
semiconductor where electricity is pro-
duced, reducing the cell’s efficiency.”
The new solar cell is designed to hide
the reflective upper contact and funnel
that light directly into the semiconduc-
tor for added power potential.
“Using nanotechnology, we have
developed a novel way to make the
upper metal contact nearly invisible to
incoming light,” Vijay Narasimhan, lead
author of the study who conducted the
work as a graduate student at Stanford,
says in the article. “Our new technique
When a new silicon and perforated gold film are immersed in a solution of hydro-
fluoric acid and hydrogen peroxide, the gold film sinks into the silicon substrate and
nanopillars pop up through holes in the film.
16
could significantly improve the efficiency Narasimhan compares the process to
and thereby lower the cost of solar cells.” the way a colander works when filled
Narasimhan and his team created with water in the sink.
nanosized pillars of silicon that are taller “When you turn on the faucet, not all
than the surface of the gold film. This of the water makes it through the holes
design allows the sunlight to be redirect- in the colander,” he says. “But if you were
ed to the semiconductor before it has a to put a tiny funnel on top of each hole,
chance to hit the metallic surface and be most of the water would flow straight
reflected away and lost. through with no problem. That’s essen-
And after trial and error, the team tially what our structure does: The nano-
found that creating silicon nanopillars pillars act as funnels that capture light
was a simple, one-step chemical process. and guide it into the silicon substrate
“We immersed the silicon and the through the holes in the metal grid.”
perforated gold film together in a solu- The team says this new technique has
tion of hydrofluoric acid and hydrogen the potential to improve relative effi-
peroxide,” Thomas Hymel, Stanford ciency of solar cells by 10%.
graduate student and study coauthor, says Narasimhan explains the process in
in the article. “The gold film immediately a Stanford Precourt Institute for Energy
began sinking into the silicon substrate, video at youtu.be/mJORhZaGH5A.
and silicon nanopillars began popping up The research, published in ACS Nano,
through the holes in the film.” is “Hybrid metal–semiconductor nano-
Within seconds, the silicon pillars structure for ultrahigh optical absorption
grew 330 nm in height, transforming the and low electrical resistance at opto-
shiny gold surface to a dark red color— electronic interfaces,” (DOI: 10.1021/
an indication that the silicon nanopillars acsnano.5b04034). n
were “funneling light around the metal
grid and into the silicon substrate under-
neath,” Narasimhan explains.
Developing chromium capture
technology prevents poisoning
of solid oxide fuel cells
Degradation is a serious problem that
threatens long-term use of solid oxide
fuel cells (SOFCs)—a necessity for full
utility of this alternative energy solution.
“One of the reasons that fuel cells
degrade is poisoning of the cathode by
chromium contaminants when incom-
ing air flows into the fuel cell,” says
Prabhakar Singh, UTC Endowed Chair
Professor and director of the Center
for Clean Energy Engineering at the
Credit: Stanford Precourt Institute for Energy; YouTube
University of Connecticut.
Chromium poisoning leads to perfor-
mance degradation and compromises
long-term stability of the fuel cell.
“Although surface coatings and bulk
material chemistry modifications have
been utilized to reduce the overall evapo-
ration of chromium from the metallic
components present in the cell stacks
and balance of plant sub systems, the
www.ceramics.org | American Ceramic Society Bulletin, Vol. 95, No. 2
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So Singh and his research group are working on a solution
to this chromium poisoning problem by developing a capture
technique that can grab the chromium within the fuel cell, pre-
venting it from reaching and poisoning the fuel cell cathode.
Starbar and Moly-D elements
The technology uses complex oxides, “formulations of which are are made in the U.S.A.
based on thermodynamics of reaction processes,” Singh says. with a focus on providing
The project is funded by the United States Department
of Energy. the highest quality heating elements
“We are very excited with the experimental validation of the and service to the global market.
concept in our laboratory,” Singh adds. “The team developed
the concept, synthesized the materials, fabricated the device,
and tested them under SOFC systems operating conditions.
The device termed a ‘chromium getter’ has shown excellent
chromium capture efficiency during transpiration and electro-
chemical tests.”
According to Singh, the chromium getter is cost-effective
and will work for different SOFC system designs and beyond,
such as high temperature electrochemical systems.
Singh recently presented the team’s latest findings at
ICACC’16. Some of the past data, presented at the 16th
Annual SOFC Worskhop in July 2015, can be accessed at
1.usa.gov/1QYRv3V.
The team has filed a U.S. patent application for the chemis-
try, fabrication, and SOFC application of the getters. The scien- I2R -- 50 years of service and reliability
tists are currently working to scale-up the fabrication process and I Squared R Element Co., Inc.
hopes to eventually tests samples of its technology with SOFC Akron, NY Phone: (716)542-5511
industry partners. n Fax: (716)542-2100

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www.isquaredrelement.com

American Ceramic Society Bulletin, Vol. 95, No. 2 | www.ceramics.org 17

 research briefs
What works for penguins could work for airplanes: Secrets of the feather show how to
prevent ice formation
New research shows that when it
comes to anti-icing surfaces, the animal
world’s most dapper creatures have a few
tricks on their flippers.
The research, presented at the recent
2015 meeting of the American Physical
Society’s Division of Fluid Dynamics,
shows that penguin feathers are uniquely
suited to prevent ice formation when in
contact with water.
Using scanning electron microscopy,
researchers showed that the feathers of

Credit: David Stanley; Flickr CC BY 2.0

Antarctic gentoo penguins contain tiny
pores, or “nanosized pits,” and are coat-
ed in a special oil that together prevent
water from sitting on the surface of the
penguins’ coats.
Most birds, and particularly aquatic
species like penguins, produce preen oil
in a gland at the base of their tails. The
birds apply this hydrophobic oil to their
feathers during preening, in which they
collect the oil on their beaks and apply it
across their entire black-and-white bodies.
Combining the porous structure of
the feathers with the penguins’ hydro-
phobic coating of preen oil lets them
glide in and out of frigid waters without
a thought about ice formation, because
the combination makes penguin coats
superhydrophobic.
“The combination of the feather’s
hydrophobicity and surface texture is
known to increase the contact angle
of water drops on penguin feathers to
Gentoo penguins on Cuverville Island, Antarctica.
more than 140° and classify them as
superhydrophobic,” according to the
meeting abstract.
That superhydrophobicity makes
water droplets ball up on the surfaces
of the penguins’ coats. According to
an APS press release, the researchers
hypothesize that the spherical shape of
the balled-up droplets on a superhydro-
phobic surface are precisely what pre-
vents ice formation, because “heat has a
hard time flowing out of the water drop-
let if the droplet does not make much
contact with the surface.”
Pirouz Kavehpour, lead researcher of
the study and mechanical and aerospace
engineering professor at the University of
California, Los Angeles, likens that expla-
nation to traffic in the release. “Heat flow
could be compared to traffic. If you have
a freeway that turns into a tiny, two-lane
road, the traffic will back up. Similarly,
heat does not flow well from the large
cross-section of the middle of the drop
to the small cross-section where the drop
makes contact with the feather.”
Comparing gentoo penguin feathers
with those of warmer-climate Magellan-
ic penguins that live in South America
gave the researchers confidence that it
is the combination of feather porosity
and preen oil that make the difference

Research News

Low-cost nickel-based catalyst shows promise for fuel cells
Researchers at the University of Delaware (Newark, Del.) recently reported
a breakthrough that promises to bring down the cost of hydrogen fuel cells
by replacing expensive platinum catalysts with less expensive ones made
from metals like nickel. The researchers achieved the breakthrough by
switching the operating environment from acidic to basic, and they found
that nickel matched the activity of platinum. The hydroxide exchange
membrane can offer high-performance fuel cells at an unprecedented low
cost, according to the researchers, which ultimately will make fuel cell
vehicles more affordable. For more information, visit udel.edu.
Tunable materials clear the way for advanced optics
A multi-institutional team of researchers, including those at the
University of Wisconsin-Madison, has developed a way to precisely
engineer the temperatures at which vanadium dioxide will undergo
phase transition. The researchers not only changed vanadium dioxide’s
intrinsic shift point from 155°F to below 70°F, but they successfully
tuned its transition across a variety of specific temperatures.
Additionally, because optical and physical properties result from the
same underlying physical principles, vanadium dioxide’s thermal and
electrical conductivities also shift with the transition. The work could
lead to new types of tunable materials for optics, camouflage, and
thermal regulation. For more information, visit engr.wisc.edu/news.

18 www.ceramics.org | American Ceramic Society Bulletin, Vol. 95, No. 2

in cold weather. The scientists found that those warmer-
climate birds do not have the same small feather pores and
that their preen oil is not as hydrophobic as that of the cold-
climate gentoos.
Because surfaces influence how a material reacts with the rest
of the world, engineered surfaces can tailor how a material per-
forms in particular environments.
For example, the researchers hope that their insight into
penguin coats can help discover anti-icing solutions for our
society, too, especially in the big business of de-icing air-
plane wings.
Ice accumulation on airplane parts—think wings, rud-
ders, flaps, etc.—changes with the craft’s precise aerodynamic
design, disrupting airflow and critical principles of physics,
like oh-so-important lift.
Engineered superhydrophobic airplane surfaces that are
designed to prevent ice formation could help reduce the prob-
lems that airplanes encounter in winter weather, while also

Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
reducing the vast amounts of chemical de-icers that are cur-
rently used in the airline industry.
“It’s a little ironic that a bird that doesn’t fly could one day
help airplanes fly more safely,” Kavehpour says in the release. n A global view of Mars’ Valles Marineris.

‘Martian concrete’ could be key to future human

colonization on Mars
Materials scientist Lin Wan and her colleagues at North-
western University’s Center for Sustainable Engineering of
Geological and Infrastructure Materials in Evanston, Ill., have
developed a method for making Martian concrete using mate-
rials that are available in generous supply on Mars and without
using water—a resource that will be limited and precious on
the planet.
The starring element in waterless Martian concrete is sulfur.
The team explains in their open-access paper that Mars long
has been considered a sulfur-rich planet, so they developed
new construction materials composed largely of simulated
Martian soil and molten sulfur that compares in strength to

Making the thinnest plates that can be picked up by hand

Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania (Philadelphia, Pa.) have
created the thinnest plates that can be picked up and manipulated by
hand. Despite being thousands of times thinner than a sheet of paper and
hundreds of times thinner than household cling wrap or aluminum foil, these
corrugated plates of aluminum oxide spring back to their original shape
after being bent and twisted. The researchers’ plates are 25–100 nm thick
and are made of aluminum oxide, which is deposited one atomic layer at a
time to achieve precise control of their thickness and distinctive honeycomb
shape. For more information, visit news.upenn.edu.

American Ceramic Society Bulletin, Vol. 95, No. 2 | www.ceramics.org 19

 research briefs

conventional cementlike concrete on The open-access paper, available on the Chitons are a prey species that live
Earth—but it is highly anticorrosive and preprint server arXiv, is “A novel material attached to hard surfaces, such as
completely recyclable. for in-situ construction on Mars: Experi- rocks. So eyes allow chitons to detect
The sulfur-based concrete strength ments and numerical simulations.” n approaching predators, which allows
reaches similar levels to conventional them to clamp tightly onto those hard
cementitious concrete. The Martian con- Bifunctional material affords surfaces to hopefully prevent being dis-
crete is fast curing, has low-temperature lodged and eaten.
sustainability, is acid and salt environ-
chiton shells strength and Although the chitons’ tiny eyes—each
ment resistant, and is 100% recyclable, visibility with built-in eyes just 0.1 mm in diameter—had been previ-
all appealing superior characteristics, the Researchers now show that marine ously identified and were thought to per-
authors explain in the paper’s abstract. mollusks called chitons have an interest- form a photosensory function, a recent
The team heats the sulfur until it ing feature they use to adapt to their Science paper is first to report that the
reaches 240°C and liquefies, then mixes life under the sea—hundreds of tiny eyes eyes can form focused images.
it with aggregate—simulated Martian integrated in and scattered across their The authors include researchers from
soil—and lets the mixture cool. As the strong aragonite shells. Massachusetts Institute of Technology,
sulfur solidifies, it binds the soil and
hardens the material to make concrete.
Using compression testing, the team
found that Martian concrete reached a
compressive strength of 50 MPa or more,
thanks to the strong chemical bonds sul-
fur makes with the Martian soil during
curing. That is compared with standard
concretes used in buildings on Earth that
have a compressive strength of about 20
MPa, the authors explain.
And that improved compressive
strength will be necessary on Mars,
because the planet’s atmospheric pres-
sure and temperature range so widely
compared with Earth’s more hospi-
table conditions.
The potential to make concrete on
Mars without having to ship raw mate-

rials by space shuttle from home base
means that creating structures on site
might be easier, cheaper, and more
straightforward than ever imagined.
Credit: MIT
Close-up image of a part of a chiton shell shows the eyes (dark bumps with shiny
centers) that cover the shell surface. The small bumps with black centers are sensory
organs called aesthetes, and the protective mounds in the shell are visible.

Research News
Ceramic particles supply digital X-ray plates ‘from an aerosol can’
Researchers at the Leibniz Institute for New Materials (Saarbrücken,
Germany) and collaborators have developed new materials to manufacture
X-ray detectors inexpensively and on a large scale with greater image
resolution. To do so, they embedded ceramic particles in a conductive
plastic. The components of these “composite detectors” can be stirred into
a solvent and then applied like paint by spraying. Detectors convert the
light into an electric current, which is registered by the X-ray apparatus.
This means that it might be possible to manufacture X-ray detectors
inexpensively and on a large scale with greater image resolution. For more
information, visit leibniz-inm.de/en.
Defects could improve solar cells
Scientists at the National Renewable Energy Lab (Golden, Colo.) are
studying what may seem paradoxical—certain defects in silicon solar
cells may actually improve their performance. Theoretical research
suggests that defects with properly engineered energy levels can improve
carrier collection out of the cell, or improve surface passivation of the
absorber layer. Scientists ran simulations to introduce defects within a thin
tunneling silicon dioxide layer and within an aluminum oxide layer next to
the silicon cell wafer. In both cases, specific defects were identified to be
beneficial. For more information, visit nrel.gov.

20 www.ceramics.org | American Ceramic Society Bulletin, Vol. 95, No. 2

Harvard University, and the University of South Carolina. ciples for multifunctional bio-inspired armor,” Christine Ortiz—
“A lot of people thought the eyes were so small, there was senior author on the paper and the Morris Cohen Professor of
no way this small lens would be capable of forming an image,” Materials Science and Engineering and MIT’s dean for graduate
MIT researcher Matthew Connors says in an MIT News article. education—says in the MIT article.
According to the Science paper, “Chitons are the only The paper, published in Science, is “Multifunctionality
known group of extant mollusks to have living tissue integrat- of chiton biomineralized armor with an integrated visual
ed within the outermost layer of their shells.” And that could system”(DOI: 10.1126/science.aad1246). n
mean big things for understanding and designing manufactur-
able multifunctional materials.
The team took an up-close look at one particular spe-
cies of chiton, Acanthopleura granulate, using high-resolution Ceramic Tech Today blog
microscopy and crystallography techniques. It showed that
the lens—although composed of the same mineral as the chi-
www.ceramics.org/
ton’s shell—is structurally different. The lens contains large ceramictechtoday
aragonite crystal grains that are uniformly aligned, whereas
the shell contains a more granular and scattered orientation Online research, papers,
of smaller crystals.
The researchers speculate in the paper that larger grains policy news,
reduce grain boundaries to minimize light scattering in the
lens, making those regions transparent, whereas the rest of the
interviews and weekly
shell is opaque. video presentations
Testing individual lenses underwater proved that chitons
indeed have the ability to see through these see-through eyes—
the lens could resolve a 20-cm object from a distance of about
2 m. In an intact, alive creature, that image projected through
the lens would pass underneath the shell into a photoreceptive
chamber that allows the chiton to sense its environment.
But visibility comes at a price.
Mechanical tests show that the eyes are less structurally
stable than the rest of the shell, perhaps informing why the
eyes are tucked in between mounds in the shells. Locating the Choose among the MoSi2 Heating Elements!!
structurally weaker eyes within these valleys may help protect 1700℃, 1800℃, and 1900℃ from Korean-made.
the eyes and maintain overall shell strength.
“High-resolution structure and property studies of the chiton
system provide fascinating discoveries into materials-level trad-
eoffs imposed by the disparate functional requirements, in this
case protection and vision, and are key to extracting design prin-

Winner-Super 1900
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Scientists from Argonne National Lab (Lemont, Ill.), Northwestern Uni-
versity (Evanston, Ill.), and Stony Brook University (Stony Brook, N.Y.)
have created a 2-D sheet of boron—a material known as borophene.
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American Ceramic Society Bulletin, Vol. 95, No. 2 | www.ceramics.org 21

 bulletin cover story

Refractory Material
Selection for Steelmaking
By Tom Vert,
Excerpt selections by Eileen De Guire

Selecting refractories for steelmaking operations requires

detailed analysis of service environments, comprehensive
knowledge of refractory products and steelmaking operations,
and a systematic methodology.

There are three key rules that are applicable in refractory

design/selection:
1. You can never select/design the perfect solution,
but you can be optimal!
2. If you do get to an optimal solution, the operation
parameters will change, and you will have to start the
process again!
3. It will always be interesting!

—Tom Vert, Refractory Material Selection for Steelmaking

Editor’s note—
“If you’re in the refractory business, you’re in the steel business.”—Conventional Wisdom.

A typical steel plant uses hundreds of types of refractories, each engineered for specific applications. Those
responsible for specifying refractories must understand the diverse and demanding service environments,
refractory product portfolio, and business drivers—and never compromise on safety to personnel, plant, and
environment.

It is a daunting task. Vert has been there—as the refractory selection engineer and as the expert training
others. Vert’s new book, Refractory Material Selection for Steelmaking, grew out of training materials he
developed for new engineers to teach the fine art of refractory selection for steelmaking. Vert takes the
reader/practitioner through his tried-and-true methods for establishing refractory selection goals. He reviews
refractory types and available materials. He guides the reader through specific applications in the steel plant,
and he pulls it all together with a chapter on refractory purchasing strategies.

To illustrate the increasing market value of the refractories industry and some salient statistics on its biggest
downstream market—the steel industry—see ACerS' infographic on pg 29. At a glance, see trends in the
worldwide production of crude steel and learn about the top five steel-producing countries and companies.

Because the book was in production at the time this excerpt was prepared, it may vary slightly from the
published book, but will match in its essentials.

22 www.ceramics.org | American Ceramic Society Bulletin, Vol. 95, No. 2

chapter 1
Editor’s note—A steel plant’s refractory selection team Refractory material purchase
must balance safety, energy efficiency, environmental
The first and most obvious
impact, steel quality, and cost. The “total cost of owner-
ship” approach accounts for factors beyond the vendor cost and the one that draws the
invoice that impact the true cost of refractories selected. most attention is the purchase
cost itself—this can represent

Credit: Wiley; Vert

Safety
Safety at any industrial facility is
paramount and, in the case of making
steel, is absolutely critical. The operation
deals with molten liquids over 1,600°C
in close proximity to people, which,
therefore, requires a high amount of dili-
gence. In refractory design, everything
we do from a design point of view, we
take into account safety.
Total cost of ownership
Total cost of ownership (TCO) is an
analysis methodology that tries to capture
all the costs associated with a refractory in
use from purchase to disposal, including
the impact to the process itself.
From a basic point of view, it starts with
what is the total cost/tonne of refractory,
including all costs (refractory, process, etc.)
divided by the total tonnage produced.
An example of a TCO for the BOF
furnace, which will be used to demonstrate
how these calculations are done and the
actual impact, is shown as follows.
There are six major areas:
1. Actual main refractory purchase;
2. Logistical costs;
3. Installation and demolition costs;
4. Refractory maintenance costs;
5. Refractory energy costs; and
6. Operational impact.
“sticker shock” in some cases,
whereby a BOF lining can be
over $1 million in a one-time
purchase. Therefore, it will Fig. 1.15. Localized wear caused by varying material
always draw attention of those thickness.
in the purchasing process as an
There is always a tradeoff between
area of opportunity to drive down costs.
performance and cost. See Figure 1.16 as
This purchase cost is then broken
an example. As the purity increases, the
down by the following equation:
price per kg increases exponentially. This
Total price of the refractories ($) =
is true for most components, i.e., MgO,
weight of material needed (kg) × price
graphite, etc.
of the material ($/kg)
The final part of this equation is, of
The weight of the material needed is a
course, the cost/tonne of refractories fol-
function of the design of the vessel, and
lowing the equation:
the only way to change this is to make the
Cost/tonne = cost of the refractories
lining thinner in areas in which it has low
($)/steel produced through the cam-
wear without risking undermining other
paign (tonnes)
areas, as presented in Figure 1.15.
Steel produced (tonnes) = number of
The price of the material is the other
heats made × average heat size (tonnes)
variable, and this is influenced by the
Therefore, in order to reduce the
material selected (e.g., fused grain, mate-
cost/tonne, there are only three options:
rial purity, and supplier). Note that the
1. Reduce the cost of the refractories;
materials must always be chosen first to
2. Increase the campaign life or num-
match the TMC (thermal–mechanical–
ber of heats on the production unit (lon-
chemical) design analysis (discussed in
ger life)—(less downtime); and
Chapter 2) and not to have a lower price
3. Increase the average heat size (usual-
per kg for low price purposes only! This
ly restricted by design of vessel or cranes).
will always be a key pressure point with
In case of design, all three options
people who purchase the refractories
have been and continue to be utilized:
with a mindset of it being a commod-
1. Example: Redesign the materials in
ity rather than an engineered material.
a BOF in low-wear areas or in the ladle
(Which of course we know it is not!)

Steelmaking glossary Adapted from American Iron and Steel Institute www.steel.org
Basic oxygen furnace (BOF)
A pear-shaped furnace, lined with refractory
brick, that refines molten iron from the blast
furnace and scrap into steel. Up to 30% of the
charge into the BOF can be scrap, with hot
metal accounting for the rest. Scrap is dumped
into the furnace vessel, followed by hot metal
from the blast furnace. A lance is lowered from
above, through which blows a high-pressure
stream of oxygen to cause chemical reactions
that separate impurities as fumes or slag. Once
refined, the liquid steel and slag are poured into
separate containers.
Blast furnace (BF)
A towering cylinder lined with refractory brick to
smelt iron from iron ore. The name refers to the
“blast” of hot air and gases forced up through
the iron ore, coke, and limestone that load the
furnace.
Electric arc furnace (EAF)
A steelmaking furnace where scrap is gener-
ally 100% of the charge. Heat is supplied from
electricity that arcs from the graphite electrodes
to the metal bath. Furnaces may be either alter-
nating current or direct current. Direct current
units consume less energy and fewer electrodes,
but they are more expensive.
Continuous caster (CC)
Steel from the BOF or electric furnace is poured
into a tundish (a shallow vessel that looks like a
bathtub) atop a continuous caster. As steel flows
from the tundish down into the water-cooled
copper mold of the caster, it solidifies into a rib-
bon of red-hot steel. At the bottom of the caster,
torches cut the continuously flowing steel to
form slabs or blooms.
Ladle
A “bucket” lined with refractory brick, used to
transport molten steel from process to process
in a steel plant.
Tundish
The shallow refractory-lined basin on top of the
continuous caster. It receives liquid steel from
the ladle, prior to the cast, allowing the operator
to precisely regulate flow of metal into the mold.

American Ceramic Society Bulletin, Vol. 95, No. 2 | www.ceramics.org 23

 Refractory Material Selection for Steelmaking
Price
Purity
Fig. 1.16. Effect of material purity on price.
slagline (lower purity MgO, lower purity
graphite, etc.), which maintains heat life
and heat size but lowers the initial cost.
2. Example: Redesign an EAF bot-
tom to go from 500 heats to 1,200 heats
through a change in construction with
same brick sizing and costs, but longer
life leading to a lower cost/tonne.
3. Example: Redesign a ladle to
increase average heat size—thinner safety
linings, higher ladle shell—same life of
the ladle, same refractory cost—but lower
cost/tonne.
All options are available, although
some are more restricted based on steel
plant design itself.
chapter 2
Editor’s note—“Thermal–Mechanical–Chemical
Analysis” provides a method to systematically specify
refractory performance.
TMC analysis overview
The first thing you want to think about
is what material and installation method
will solve the problem. This will not be
discussed until Chapters 3 and 4 on pur-
pose—because the key to refractory selec-
tion is #1—“What is the problem?” What
is the wear you are trying to solve once the
goals have been determined in Chapter 1?
For all existing refractory problems or
any new installations that are being ana-
lyzed, full TMC analyses (Table 2.1) are
the first steps to be done. These and their
combinations are the wear mechanisms of
refractories, and their analyses are essen-
tially an examination of the process under
which the refractories are submitted.
A key to this analysis is also to analyze
from a refractory perspective. Refractory
24
specialists are used for this,
because metallurgists usually
understand the steelmaking
process but do not understand
refractory properties and,
therefore, cannot appreciate
the effect of the former on the
latter.
The TMC analysis is then
compared against the refracto-
Credit: Wiley; Vert
ry properties in order to select
the proper material. Note that
it is important to comment
that the current state of sup-
plier data sheets is useless, giving only
the information that won’t help you.
Supplier data sheets are weak, because,
firstly, they give overall chemistry, which
is misleading (and usually any key com-
ponents will be left off), and, secondly,
most of the important tests, such as
slag testing, have no standard. An ideal
situation, as a customer perspective, we
would like to know the minerals used,
their placement in the particle size distri-
bution, and the engineering properties,
such as hot modulus of rupture at tem-
perature, work of fracture, and thermal
expansion curves, not just point values.
Based on this discussion, it is critical for
the end user to take an active role in the
refractory material selection process—but
Figure 2.53. Interactions of TMC analysis.
www.ceramics.org | American Ceramic Society Bulletin, Vol. 95, No. 2
more about this in Chapter 5!
In closing, the age-old adage, “What
is the problem?” is the key to starting in
refractory material selection.
Editor’s note—Phase diagrams are essential tools for
the refractory engineer. Vert presents industrially impor-
tant phase diagrams and walks the reader through cor-
rect interpretation. The chapter addresses fundamental
wear mechanisms and consequent engineering decisions.
These concepts tie together by coming back to TMC
analysis.
The last section of this chapter deals
with three key topics:
1. Interactions of TMC analysis;
2. Saturday night designing (see side-
bar); and
3. Rubble pile analysis (see sidebar).
The review of all three topics will
pull everything together and essentially
leave readers at the point that they can
understand what we stated in the first
section—the key to refractory selection is
#1—“What is the problem?” What is the
wear you are trying to solve once the goals
have been determined in Chapter 1?
Interactions of TMC analysis
For all existing refractory problems
or any new installations that are being
designed, a full TMC analysis is the first
step to be done, and we have reviewed
the key components of the first section’s
Credit: Wiley; Vert
charts with details on thermal, mechani-
cal, and chemical key wear mechanisms.
Let us now review the interactions
between these phenomena as shown in
Figure 2.53.
In reality, this diagram, although
messy, is much more reflective of what
actually happens in service, with mul-
tiple interactions and never one single
wear mechanism. A good example would
be a ladle slide gate:
• High abrasion environment with
sliding refractory surfaces;
• High thermal shock from pouring
of steel to shut off; and
• High chemical attack from calcium
vapour for calcium steels.
So, if we are to design for abrasion
and use very hard and strong materials,
then we will fail quickly from thermal
shock, because we need soft flexible
materials. If we design strictly for ther-
mal shock, than the abrasion will wear
the plates quickly. If we try to put very
dense material with tight pore size for
corrosion or use a magnesia-type mate-
rial, the plate will fail because of thermal
Tips, tricks, and steel plant wisdom
“Saturday night” designing
The statement of “Saturday night” designing
is a simple one and basically tries to focus
on keeping in mind worst case scenarios and
ensuring full risk is built in.
If you are designing an application based on
average temperatures, average ΔT, average
chemistries, etc., then it will be prone to pre-
mature failure. The worst case scenario for a
steel plant usually happens on Saturday night
when there is little supervision. The operators
are pressed to make steel when things like
“hot heats” with tap temperatures of 1,700°C
or superheated slags tend to take place.
Saturday night designing needs to be taken
into account—a wise old refractory guru once
American Ceramic Society Bulletin, Vol. 95, No. 2 | www.ceramics.org
Table 2.1. TMC analysis
Main mechanism Submechanism Mechanism Examples Design parameter
Thermal Peak temperature (T ) Tapping temperatures Material chemistry and physical
properties (purity, sizing, etc.)
Thermal shock (ΔT ): Frequency Holding temperatures Thermal expansion properties,
and amplitude of the toughness
temperature change
Mechanical Impact Lip skull cleaning, force of Strength/elasticity and work of
metal stream impact fracture of material
Abrasion Stirring energy, impact of dust Density, strength/toughness, ratio
particles matrix/grains
Applied stress Mass of bricks sitting on the Strength/creep
lowest layer of bricks (BF stove)
Chemical (and Dissolution Slag matrix attack at high Minimize pore size and optimize
thermochemical) temperatures pore size distribution, raw material
purity. Freeze plane is moved to the
surface
Penetration Fluid slag penetration
Thermomechanical Strain of thermal expansion Expansion of large precast Thermal expansion properties, and
shapes heat flow design
Chemical mechanical Spalling of the penetrated Ladle barrel brick spalling – Minimize pore size and optimize
(and thermo- zones thermal expansion mismatch pore size distribution, raw material
mechanical of penetrated zone vs original purities, use of non-wetting
material materials, moving freeze plane
close to the surface, minimize
thermal expansion
shock within a heat or two! There is no So what do we do? We compromise,
perfect answer, and the process variabil- we balance—I like to compare it to the
ity in a shop from heat to heat and day fairy tale “Goldilocks and the Three
to day adds additional challenges. Bears”—it is a balanced approach.
said, “If you design for Saturday night, the rest • White back face from oxidation of gases
of the week will be fine!” coming up the back side during preheat and/or
during the process cycling;
Rubble pile analysis
• Vertical, horizontal cracks—How many?
Refractory selectors will never be able to get to
Where? How deep from hot face? Corners vs
optimum designs/costs unless they are willing
whole face?;
to get dirty!
• Slag/steel penetration of the joints;
To truly understand wear mechanisms, you
must be willing to wade into the rubble piles • Depth of penetration of the slag (thin/thick);
in the steel shop. A laser analysis of a steel and
ladle slagline thickness will tell you a wear • Dissolution of the matrix or the grains or both.
rate, but if you get into the ladle, you will find
All of this will tell you 10 times more about
so much more. If you dig a brick or two out by
the wear mechanism than any data scan or
jackhammer, pry bar, or brick hammer, you will
computer analysis of the process.
possibly notice:
It also gives you the keys to then design
• Softness of the brick from oxidation of the
around wear mechanisms!
bond that you can feel when you dig it;
25
Refractory Material Selection for Steelmaking

chapter 3

Performance (wear rate)

Editor’s note—Phase diagrams and fundamental materi-
als science concepts explain and demonstrate wear mech-

Wear rate
anisms for major steelmaking refractory compositions.

Magnesia (MgO) overview

Credit: Wiley; Vert

Magnesia is probably the key ingredi-

Credit: Wiley; Vert

ent in steelmaking refractories in the
world today, and an understanding of its
key characteristics is critical to improve-
Purity, % Impurities
ments and cost/value for any steel shop.
It has a high melting point of Fig. 3.6. Relationship of performance and Fig. 3.12. Relationship between wear
~ 2,800°C in its most pure form and is raw material purity. The ideal is to work rate and impurities for MgO grains.
manufactured from either minerals in in the "sweet spot." Numbers are not accurate­—but the rela-
the ground or some type of seawater. tionship is similar and depends on the
application.
Importance of magnesia purity
Note that the key components of MgO are
1. MgO concentration;
2. Crystal size;
3. Impurities;
4. Sintered/fused ratio; and
5. MgO concentration.
Why do we care?
- Performance, purity, and price are all
related;
- We want to be working in the "sweet
spot" between purity and price, as shown
in Figure 3.6; and
- Goal in life (as a refractory engineer):
To find the sweet spot!
Impurities
There are three important things to
check with impurities—the total amount,
the level of B2O3, and the C/S (or lime/
silica ratio).
Total amount of impurity compounds
includes: Al2O3, CaO, SiO2, B2O3, and
Credit: Wiley; Vert

FeO, Fe2O3
As the total number of impurities
increases, the crystal size decreases, and, Fig. 3.13. B2O3 and MgO binary phase diagram.
then, the wear rate increases, as shown
in Figure 3.12.
Percent B2O3
At steelmaking temperatures
(1,600°C), even with small amounts of
B2O3 (less than 0.001%), a liquid will
form at 1,155°C as shown in the phase
diagram in Figure 3.13. It forms along
the grain boundaries, as shown in Figure
Credit: Wiley; Vert

3.14. So, even if you have >98% MgO, it

doesn’t matter. The amazing crystal will
pop out because of the weakness of the
small amount of liquid phase forming. Fig. 3.14. Liquid formation in MgO grain boundaries with the presence of B2O3.

26 www.ceramics.org | American Ceramic Society Bulletin, Vol. 95, No. 2

chapter 4
Editor’s note—Refractory selection requires knowledge of
refractory products and their properties as well as proper
installation methods. The refractory portfolio includes
brick, monolothics, castables, specialty refractories, and
installation hardware, which combine in a complex, highly
engineered system for safe and economic steel production.
Refractory dryout and anchoring
overview
Why is the choice of installation
method so important to the selection of
refractories? Why do we focus on it so
much? Material properties and lining per-
formance can be affected by installation
and manufacturing of the products.
I like to compare it to Mark Twain say-
ing: "Golf is a good walk spoiled.” Well,
refractory installation is good raw materials
possibly spoiled. You can't make the raw
materials better, but you can devastate
properties with poor installation. In order
to discuss installation, we need a basic
overview of refractory manufacturing.
Refractory making is at first a series
of crushing, sieving, and mixing of the
different raw materials. Although simple,
the refractory supplier process should be
controlled to fit the chemical formulation
and also the grain size distribution. If
the grain size distribution is not correct,
the physical properties, such as a higher
porosity/permeability, and lower mechan-
ical strengths, will be strongly affected.
The rest of the making process
depends on the type of refractory:
• Brick are required to be made into
a designated shape and must have a cur-
ing treatment to get enough mechanical
strength for handling and transportation
(unfired brick). If refractory is fired,
brick go through a tunnel shaft or fur-
nace for typically 24 hours at 1,200°C to
as high as 1,800°C. Carbon-free refracto-
ry is fired in air, but resin-bonded pieces,
such as slide gates, are fired in coke-filled
boxes and in oxygen-deficient environ-
ments. By firing, the aggregates sinter
together, making a ceramic bond.
• For monolithic refractory, such as
castable, mortar, and plastics, the shap-
ing method will depend on the instal-
lation location, skills needed to install,
and local site issues, as shown in Table
4.1. This means that refractory proper-
American Ceramic Society Bulletin, Vol. 95, No. 2 | www.ceramics.org
Table 4.1 (adapted). Refractory manufacturing/installation methods
Manufacturing Installation method Definition
Brick Shaped refractory made with a press with tightly defined dimensions—cured or fired to a
high temperature—made to be installed in a prescribed manner by a skilled mason.
Castable – precast Shaped refractory made using a castable with water into a mould with tightly defined dimen-
sions—cured or fired to a high temperature—made to be installed as a one-piece unit.
Castable – vibrated Unshaped refractory made using a castable with water into a mould with tightly defined
dimensions, vibrated with attached motors or pencil vibrators—dried on site.
Castable – self flow Unshaped refractory made using a castable with water into a mould with tightly defined
dimensions, self flow, into the space—dried on site.
Shotcrete (wet gunning) A castable that is mixed and then pumped to a gunning nozzle, and, at the nozzle, an
accelerant is added to have an instant set on the mix and the shape of castable is
maintained without slumping.
Gunning A dry refractory material that is mixed and then forced by air to a gunning nozzle, and, at
the nozzle, water is added to have “plastic” mass of refractory attach to a surface.
Plastic A formed refractory in the form of “slices” that can be put into a space and have a rammer
densify them.
Ramming material An unformed refractory in the form of loose material that can be put into a space and have
a rammer densify it.
Mortar An unformed refractory mix usually premixed with water in a pail and used for brick joints
(can also come in powder form to be mixed with water on site).
Insulation board A formed refractory in the form of “boards” that can be installed on the wall or surface
usually as an insulation material for thermal properties but not necessarily refractory in
nature.
Insulation blanket A formed refractory in the form of a blanket that can be installed on the wall or surface
usually, but not necessarily, as an insulation material for thermal properties.
Credit: Wiley; Vert
Fig. 4.3. Monolithic installation schematics.
ties rely on the installation and “setting” ultrafine particles, the recipe of which
rules (water addition, mixing, casting makes the core of the supplierknow-
time, drying) so that hydraulic bond how). If not correct or in case of unusual
develops with the hydration of the high- impurities brought by other raw mate-
Al2O3 cement. Rheological behaviour rials, rheology and final properties of
of the mixed castable is also of utmost castables will be strongly affected.
importance: It is controlled by the Figure 4.3 shows a comparison of
presence of some percentage of active three key monolithic refractory installa-
components (accelerators/retarders and tion methods.
27
Refractory Material Selection for Steelmaking

chapter 11
Editor’s note—Final refractory selection combines technical
and operations requirements with business considerations.
Employing the analysis methods introduced throughout the
book, especially the total cost of ownership, the refractory-
selecting engineer will be well equipped to make a final
recommendation to the purchasing team.

Purchasing strategies
Selecting and purchasing refractories
is a very interesting part of the total
business. Recall that in Chapter 1.6
we talked about TCO—Total Cost of

Credit: Wiley; Vert

Ownership. This is an analysis method-
ology that tries to capture all the costs
associated with a refractory in use from
purchase to disposal, including the Fig. 11.1. Key input to refractory purchase decisions.
impact to the process itself—i.e., life, pro-
ductivity, yield, quality, etc.
all others have key input, but the pro- that there are not some refractories that
It should take into account all compo-
duction/process managers are ultimately are not commodities? No! Does this
nents of the buy to make the most ratio-
accountable. mean that we can’t commoditize the
nal, logical decision on an individual
Also, we must remember that select- refractories to help our purchasing agents
buy basis.
ing refractories is a highly complex and negotiate? No!
However, what if there is a “preferred”
highly technical decision—we are selecting But it does mean that the right techni-
supplier who is not the one chosen that is
engineered ceramics, not everyday indus- cal work must be done first with the team
requested to be used? What if the vendor
trial commodities! to get the right product!
selected is on the corporate “black list”?
This is crucial and not just a statement
What if choosing one supplier will gain a
to keep nontechnical decision makers About the author
big savings at a sister plant?
out of the final decision, but instead to Tom Vert is vice president–manu-
There are other key questions as well.
ensure the lowest TCO decision is cor- facturing at ArcelorMittal Dofasco in
Should we buy the refractory by the
rect. For example, it once took one plant Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. Contact
pound? By the piece? By the cost per
12 months of trials to design and select Vert at tom.vert@arcelormittal.com. n
tonne of steel produced, or by some other
the proper mortar for installing ladle
method? Also, should purchases be made
argon plugs and nozzles. It had to have
on consignment (invoiced when used) or
the right chemistry, the right consistency,
on a ship-and-bill basis (invoiced when
and it had to bond quickly for installa-
shipped by the supplier)?
tion but have some friability for removal.
All of these are key questions that the
This took multiple trials with different
refractory selector must also take into
bonding systems and mineralogy to get
account and which will be discussed here.
the right mix. Many would think
Another important thing that must be
an 80%-alumina
remembered is that the refractory selector
mortar was
does not normally have the final deci-
just a com-
sion—this is done in combination with
modity mate-
the operators, purchasing people, etc., as
rial and the The book will be published by
shown in Figure 11.1.
lowest price Wiley–ACerS in May 2016. For
Note: Each of these groups has a role
for a 25-kg pail
to play, However, it should be noted details, visit bit.ly/1Ke1iBZ
would be the
o r y
Refractial Selection
that the final decision should reside
deciding factor,
with the operations/process managers,
because they are responsible for safety,
but this would
Mater elmaking
for Srtt, eP.Eng., M.B.A
be totally wrong.
production, and cost within the plant—
Does this mean
s Ve
Thoma Dr. Jeff
Smith
ord by
Forew

28 www.ceramics.org | American Ceramic Society Bulletin, Vol. 95, No. 2

 Created by April Gocha using Piktochart.com. Sources: ReportsnReports, "Global and China Refractory Material Industry Report, 2014–2016";
MarketsandMarkets, "Refractories Market—Trends & Forecasts to 2020"; Visiongain, "Steel Market Forecast 2015–2025: Future Opportunities
for Leading Companies"; World Steel Association statistics, available at worldsteel.org.

American Ceramic Society Bulletin, Vol. 95, No. 2 | www.ceramics.org 29


National Science
Foundation awards in
the Ceramics Program
starting in 2015
By Lynnette D. Madsen
30
T
he National Science
Foundation is an inde-
pendent federal agency that serves
as a funding source for basic research
conducted at America's colleges and
universities. NSF is divided into seven
science and engineering research and edu-
cation directorates. The Mathematical and
Physical Sciences Directorate is home to
the Division of Materials Research, which
includes the Ceramics Program.
The Ceramics Program supports fundamental scientific
research in ceramics (e.g., oxides, carbides, nitrides, and
borides), glass-ceramics, inorganic glasses, ceramic-based com-
posites, and inorganic carbon-based materials. The objective
of the program is to increase fundamental understanding and
to develop predictive capabilities for relating synthesis, pro-
cessing, and microstructure of these materials to their proper-
ties and ultimate performance in various environments and
applications. Research to enhance or enable the discovery or
creation of new ceramic materials is welcome. Development
of new experimental techniques or novel approaches to con-
duct projects is encouraged.
During fiscal year (FY) 2015, the Ceramics Program
provided support for 36 new or renewal awards, 14 supple-
mental awards, and cofunding for several grants managed
by other programs. New or renewal awards are listed in
Table I, but more information on any NSF award is avail-
able by searching the NSF awards database or by adding the
seven-digit award number to the end of www.nsf.gov/award-
search/showAward?AWD_ID=. At any given time, one can
generate a map or list of active awards from the Ceramics
Program homepage at 1.usa.gov/1Ylk9RH. Although FY
2016 began in October 2015, the first awards probably will
appear in spring of 2016.
About the author
Lynnette D. Madsen has been the director, Ceramics
Program, at NSF since 2000. Contact her at lmadsen@nsf.gov.
References
1
L.D. Madsen, “NSF’s CAREER Class of 2015 in ceramics and cross-
cutting programs,” Am. Ceram. Soc. Bull., 94 [8] 36–39 (2015). n
www.ceramics.org | American Ceramic Society Bulletin, Vol. 95, No. 2

Collaborative Research
Collaboration research can include more
than one investigator at the same institu-
tion or at multiple institutions. For multiple
institutions, there can be one proposal with a
subaward to the other institution(s), or mul-
tiple coordinated proposals can be submitted
as a joint project. See NSF’s Grant Proposal
Guide (1.usa.gov/1OyPUfv) for further
details, including responsibilities.
Sustainable Chemistry, Engineering,
and Materials (SusChEM)
The SusChEM initiative (1.usa.
gov/1lTJ79P) addresses interrelated challeng-
es of sustainable supply, engineering, produc-
tion, and use of chemicals and materials.
Faculty Early Career Development
Program (CAREER)
The CAREER (1.usa.gov/1E4FrZn)
solicitation is restricted to single investigators
who are assistant professors. The two awards
made in FY 2015 are detailed in the ACerS
Bulletin.1
EArly-concept Grants for Exploratory
Research (EAGER)
“The EAGER funding mechanism may be
used to support exploratory work in its early
stages on untested, but potentially transfor-
mative, research ideas or approaches.” Full
details are provided in the Grant Proposal
Guide (1.usa.gov/1TSnOQu).
Grant Opportunities for Academic
Liaison with Industry (GOALI)
GOALI (1.usa.gov/1mpWVsv) promotes
university–industry partnerships by making
project funds or fellowships and trainee-
ships available to support universities work-
ing with industry. One of these Ceramics
Program projects also was funded under
the Optics and Photonics area of interest
(1.usa.gov/1Pb9ymt). Companies engaged
in the 2015 Ceramics Program projects
are Corning Inc., Translucent Inc., and
Fiberguide Industries Inc.
American Ceramic Society Bulletin, Vol. 95, No. 2 | www.ceramics.org
Table I. List of NSF Ceramics Program Awards made in FY 2015
Title (award no.) Principal investigator (PI), organization; co-PI(s)
Synthetic multiferroic oxides prepared by gel collection (1461499) Stephen O'Brien, CUNY City College
Electron-rich oxide surfaces (1507812) Michele Pavanello, Rutgers University Newark; Huixin He
Understanding the impacts of impurities on processing (1505902) Guozhong Cao, University of Washington
Vibrational and electronic properties of complex metal oxides by Stefan Zollner, New Mexico State University
spectroscopic ellipsometry (1505172)
BaSnO3 as a transparent mixed ionic–electronic conducting Harry Tuller, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
material—Utilizing novel in situ methods to advance understand-
ing of structure–processing–property relations (1507047)
Hardness and elastic properties of superhard and ultrahard Steven Jacobsen, Northwestern University; Craig Bina
materials (1508577)
Link between temperature-dependent elasticity and viscosity of Liping Huang, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute; Yunfeng Shi
glass-forming liquids (1508410)
Mechanical behavior of novel metal oxide composites with hierachical Helen Chan, Lehigh University; Richard Vinci
microstructures: Effect of scale and interfacial structure (1507955)
Nanostructured electrochemical materials (1507955) Wenzhi Li, Florida International University; Chunlei Wang
Oxide surfaces, from bulk to nanoparticles (1507101) Laurence Marks, Northwestern University
Probing and manipulating strained interfaces with oxide Judy Wu, University of Kansas Center for Research
superconductors (1508494)
Real-time X-ray scattering studies of oxide epitaxial growth Randall Headrick, University of Vermont & State Agricultural
(1506930) College; Matthew Dawber
Science of electron-conducting filaments in ion-conducting Gang Chen, Ohio University; David Drabold
chalcogenide glasses (1507670)
Statics and dynamics of spatially and dimensionally constrained Vinayak Dravid, Northwestern University
oxides (1507810)
Collaborative Research: Bulk synthesis of stishovite near ambient Kai Landskron, Lehigh University
pressure and temperature (1463948, 1463974) Peter Kroll, University of Texas at Arlington
Collaborative Research: High-throughput quantification of solid-state Sossina Haile, Northwestern University
electrochemistry for next-generation energy technologies (1505103, Ichiro Takeuchi, University of Maryland College Park
1505116)
Collaborative Research: Integrated computational and experimental Scott Barnett, Northwestern University
studies of solid oxide fuel cell electrode structural evolution and Katsuyo Thornton, University of Michigan Ann Arbor
electrochemical characteristics (1506925, 1506055)
Collaborative Research: On the origin of atomic layer deposition Kevin Huang, University of South Carolina at Columbia
enhanced activity and stability of nanostructured cathodes for Xinhua Liang, Missouri University of Science and Technology
intermediate-temperature solid oxide fuel cells (1464112, 1464111)
SusChEM: Collaborative Research: Experimental and computational Alexandra Navrotsky, University of California-Davis;
study of structure and thermodynamics of rare-earth oxides above Sergey Ushakov
2000°C (1506229, 1505657) Axel van de Walle, Brown University
SusChEM: Nanoscale insight into electric fatigue of lead-free Xiaoli Tan, Iowa State University
piezoelectric ceramics (1465254)
SusChEM: Rational design and synthesis of stable strain- and defect- Tewodros Asefa, Rutgers University
rich Cu/ceramic nanocomposites for efficient CO2 reduction (1465254)
CAREER: Defect-driven metal oxides for enhanced energy storage Hui (Claire) Xiong, Boise State University
systems (1454984)
CAREER: Understanding surface redox activity of atomically flat William Chueh, Stanford University
electroceramics (1455369)
EAGER: Biocompatibility of nanocrystalline YSZ transparent cranial Guillermo Aguilar, University of California-Riverside;
implant (1547014) Javier Garay
EAGER: Fabrication and characterization of 3-D ceramic-coated Bridget Rogers, Vanderbilt University
polymer scaffolds (1547014)
GOALI: OP: Incongruent growth of single-crystal 3-D architecture for Himanshu Jain, Lehigh University; Daniel Nolan,
new optical functionalities in glass (1508177) Volkmar Dierolf
GOALI: Zintl engineering of epitaxial ceramic films on gallium nitride John Ekerdt, University of Texas at Austin; Alexander
(1507970) Demkov, Rytis Dargis
GOALI: Nanostructured sapphire optical fiber for sensing in harsh Henry Du, Stevens Institute of Technology;
environment (1506179) Narciso Dominguez
GOALI: Atomistic understanding of non-Newtonian flow and related Sabyasachi Sen, University of California-Davis; Bruce Aitken
phenomena in chalcogenide glass-forming liquids (1505185)
GOALI: Collaborative Research: Understanding composition–structure Jincheng Du, University of North Texas
–chemical durability relationships in multicomponent oxide glasses: Ashutosh Goel, Rutgers University; Nicholas Smith,
Influence of mixed network former effect (1508001, 1507131) Randall Youngman
31
Students plan opportunities for
advancement within the ceramics
and glass community by Lisa Rueschhoff

T
he President’s Council of Student Advisors at Irvine, is working toward completing a set of
(PCSA) kicked off its annual business meeting extensive ceramic materials lesson plans that
days before MS&T15, where graduate and will be available for download by summer 2016
undergraduate ceramic student leaders from all (see inset). In addition, the committee filmed
over the world gathered in Columbus, Ohio, to dis- instructional videos of the existing student labo-
cuss plans for the upcoming year. Delegates for the ratory and teacher demonstration kits, which are
2015–2016 year planned outreach, programming, available at ceramics.org.
and professional development events to engage Theresa Davey, graduate student at Imperial
students worldwide as leaders in the ceramics College London, chairs the communications
community and encourage participation in ACerS. committee, which works to promote PCSA and
At the meeting, delegates elected an overall student activities within ACerS. The committee
council chair and chairs for each of the five PCSA presents the “Deciphering the Discipline” column tion at ICACC’16; is planning a new creative
committees, in addition to discussing and plan- and coordinates a special focus on students competition for ceramics students; compiles re-
ning opportunities for the advancement of ACerS in the June/July Bulletin. Check out the PCSA gional activities pamphlets for major materials
students. Delegates elected Lisa Rueschhoff, a Facebook page for biweekly updates on student conferences; and, with the help of ACerS Young
graduate student at Purdue University, to suc- accomplishments and ACerS Division events. Professionals Network and ACerS staff, held
ceed the previous chair, Jessica Rimsza. The programming committee, led by Megan the first Winter Workshop for ceramic students
The outreach committee, chaired by Kara Phillips, Wilson, graduate student at the University of and young professionals from around the world
a graduate student at the University of California Virginia, organized the Schott glass competi- during January 2016 (see more on page 11 and
page 48).
Ceramic and glass materials lesson plans The finance committee, chaired by Mark Hornak,
graduate student at The Ohio State University,
PCSA’s new ceramic and glass materials lesson plans, designed by the current and previous out- builds relationships with donors and raises funds
reach committees, will debut summer 2016 and will feature interactive student activities as well to support student travel to the PCSA annual
as teacher demonstrations that will help students learn more about processing, structure, and business meeting. All past and current delegates
properties of ceramics. Lesson plans will provide step-by-step instructions to perform laboratory of PCSA are grateful to the generous donors,
exercises and demonstrations as well as follow-up questions to lead discussions with students. who make PCSA programming, outreach, and
Hands-on activities outlined in the lesson plans teach students about the structural differences networking opportunities possible.
between amorphous glass and crystalline ceramic materials by building models of each struc- PCSA continually looks forward—the recruit-
ture. Examples of each class of material and its structure illustrate differences in bonding and, ment committee is on the lookout for 35 ceramic
subsequently, materials properties. student leaders to join PCSA as delegates for
The new kits also outline how to build an electrical circuit using batteries, various modified 2016–2017. PCSA offers immense opportunities
silicate glasses, and LED lights, an exercise that demonstrates how structure affects glass’s for students to become involved and network
electrical properties. This experiment demonstrates the effect of modifying ions in glass’s with other students and ceramic leaders.
structure and how those modifications affect the material’s electrical properties. Using the les- Interested undergraduate and graduate students
son plans, students also study mechanical properties—in compression and tension—of glasses from around the world are encouraged to apply.
and ceramics compared with metals to discover the dependence of those properties on atomic More information can be found at ceramics.org/
structure and bonding. PCSA, and questions can be directed toward
In addition, lesson plans explore sintering experiments using low-melting-point polymers to the recruitment committee chair, James Steffes
study the mechanisms of sintering and the dependence of starting spheres on size. These (james.steffes@uconn.edu), graduate student at
experiments serve as a foundation to introduce students to the importance and implications of the University of Connecticut.
sintering ceramics. PCSA delegates are grateful for the foundational
PCSA hopes its new lesson work of last year’s committee chairs, Sapna
plans, outlining these Gupta and Brian Donovan. PCSA owes its suc-
experiments and more, will cess to the multitude of ACerS advisors, liaisons,
be used in classrooms, and staff that makes all its work possible—
science fairs, and student thanks to Geoff Brennecka, Kristen Brosnan,
activity fairs across the Valerie Wiesner, Jessica Krogstad, Andrea Muller-
world to introduce students Hoff, David Shahin, and Tricia Freshour.
to—and spark interest in— Lisa Rueschhoff holds a ceramic tile on which a penny is heated Lisa Rueschhoff is chair of the 2015–2016
the world of ceramics and up during a demonstration to students. PCSA and is a Ph.D. candidate in the School
glass. n of Materials Engineering at Purdue University
(West Lafayette, Ind.). n

32 www.ceramics.org | American Ceramic Society Bulletin, Vol. 95, No. 2

Electronic Materials and Applications 2016
delivers a buzz by connecting leaders
(Credit for all photos: ACerS.)

and ideas in electronic materials

Haiyan Wang (center), one of the EMA 2016 organizers, poses learning from failed research, this conference also consistently delivers high-
with a couple of conference attendees during a coffee break.
ACerS PCSA members (left to right) Brian Donovan,
Giorgia Franchin, and Theresa Davey.
T
he 2016 edition of Electronic Materials and Applications—the meeting’s seventh
annual installment—took place in sunny Orlando, Fla., Jan. 20–22.
EMA is all about electronics—the meeting covers emerging needs, opportunities,
and key challenges within the field, highlighting the latest advances in electronics,
sensors, energy generation and storage, photovoltaics, and light emitting diodes. ACerS
Electronics Division and Basic Science Division jointly program the meeting.
And with more than 300 international attendees (a record attendance!), the conference is
sized just right—big enough to feature a variety of high-quality research and countless
networking opportunities, yet small enough to get to know fellow attendees.
In addition to high-quality technical talks spanning all electronic topics, a buzzing poster
reception, expert tutorials, and the not-to-be missed special symposium dedicated to
quality plenary lectures to get each day humming. This year’s plenary speakers were
Darrell Schlom, Herbert Fisk Johnson Professor of Industrial Chemistry at Cornell Univer-
sity (Ithaca, N.Y.); James Warren, technical program director for materials genomics at the
National Institute of Standards and
Technology’s Material Measurement
Laboratory (Gaithersburg, Md.); and
Thomas Detzel, senior manager of
gallium nitride technology at
Infineon Technologies Austria AG
(Villach, Austria).
EMA 2017 will continue the tradition
of bringing top-level research and
speakers to Orlando, Fla., Jan. 18–
20, 2017—join us for this opportu-
nity to connect and network with the The evening poster session was packed with eager attendees and
electronic materials community. n cutting-edge research on electronic materials and applications.

ACerS president Mrityunjay (Jay) Singh welcomes

attendees during the conference banquet. Jon Ihlefeld (far left) awarded student presentation winners at the conference banquet dinner.

Epic snowstorm only part of the story
at 40th ICACC in Daytona Beach
A
t the 40th International Conference on
Advanced Ceramics and Composites opening
reception, almost all conversations began
with a version of “Did the storm affect your travels
to Daytona Beach?”
The storm was Winter Storm Jonas, which ravaged
the eastern United States with several feet of snow
and ice. Driving was treacherous, and airports
ICACC program chair Andy Gyekenyesi welcomes
across the entire eastern seaboard were closed for
attendees on Monday to the opening session.
at least two days.
Obviously, those who were most affected were not
there to answer the question. The storm’s lingering
impact was most noticeable on Monday afternoon
when symposia sessions started, with many talks
cancelled or rescheduled because of travel delays.
Eventually, about 1,080 attendees from 42
Alastair Cormack of Alfred University displays ACerS president Mrityunjay Singh and his wife Gita join plenary speaker Sanjay Correa (cen-
his copy of the book produced in honor of the ter), GE Aviation, and Jeffrey Wadsworth (right), Battelle Memorial Institute, at the opening
40th Jubilee. reception. Wadsworth was the ECD Mueller Award recipient for 2016.
34
ICACC 2016 scrapbook. All images by ACerS.
countries arrived and, besides participating in the
technical program, celebrated the 40th jubilee an-
niversary of this conference.
Program chair Andy Gyekenyesi says, “The fact
that around 50% of attendees are international,
representing 42 countries, demonstrates that this is
truly an international event.”
According to former ACerS president Jim McCau-
ley, ICACC grew out of the “Refractory Composites
Workshop,” first held 41 years ago in Cocoa
Beach, Fla. That success led the Ceramic-Metal
Systems Division to establish ICACC. Ceramic-
Metal Systems later evolved into today’s Engineer-
ing Ceramics Division.
In 2007, ICACC moved north to Daytona Beach
to accommodate higher attendance, and now it
Jim McCauley delivered his talk to
“open” the 40th Jubilee Symposium
on Tuesday instead of Monday.
Winter Storm Jonas wreaked havoc
on Monday’s afternoon schedule.
www.ceramics.org | American Ceramic Society Bulletin, Vol. 95, No. 2
 Soshu Kirihara (left), ECD chair, awards ECD’s Bridge Builder Award to
Hai-Doo Kim, president of the Korea Institute of Materials Science.
ACerS president Mrityunjay Singh (left) and Do-Heyoung Kim of Chonnam National University in South
Korea signed a Memorandum of Understanding that establishes a rotation of the Materials Challenges in
Alternative and Renewable Energy conference between the two countries. Kim represented the Korean
Institute of Chemical Engineers at the signing.
consistently attracts more than 1,000 attendees
from around the world. ICACC also serves as the
annual meeting for the ECD, which held its busi-
ness and committee meetings here in addition
to the technical conference.
Although the conference is entering its “middle
age” years, its programming for students and
young professionals remains strong with the
Global Young Investigators Forum—now in
ICACC attendees appreciated being appreciated at a reception hosted
its fifth year—student networking events and by the Daytona Beach Visitors Bureau in honor of the conference’s
receptions as well as a “Survival Skills for 40th anniversary.
Patrick Henry, Daytona Beach city commis-
Scientists” mentoring lunch.
sioner, welcomed banquet attendees on
behalf of the city of Daytona Beach. Gyekenyesi says, “It’s a pleasure to see expanding
youthful participation. Because
the conference keeps growing
each year, it’s obvious the field
is expanding and in need of a
new generation of researchers.”
To mark the 40th anniversary,
a 40th Jubilee Symposium fea-
tured previous ECD Mueller and
Bridge Building Award winners. Bill Lee, ACerS president-elect, and Valerie Wiesner (right)
Plans were for Jim McCauley look on as Lisa Rueschhoff, PCSA chair, welcomes students and
to kick off the symposium young professionals to Monday’s reception.
What’s better than a handshake at the conference expo? Two hand-
shakes! Mark Sowerbutts (center) and Steve Toomey (right) of AVS on Monday after the plenary
make two new friends. opening session. However, Storm Jonas pushed
the talk to Tuesday. Also marking the milestone
was a conference banquet and a commemorative book,
Engineered Ceramics—Current Status and Future
Projects. Finally, the Daytona Beach Convention and
Visitor’s Bureau sponsored a special reception in honor
of the anniversary and to thank ICACC for its business.
The Society conducted some business, too, signing a
Memorandum of Understanding with the Korean Institute
of Chemical Engineers to collaborate on the Materials
Challenges in Alternative and Renewable Energy confer-
ences. MCARE will alternate between ACerS (2016, 2018,
2020) and KIChE (2017, 2019). The MOU builds on a col- A banquet on the final evening featured
laboration between the societies that led to MCARE 2015 reminiscences, a steel band, and Carribean
Scheduled breaks provided valuable networking time. on Jeju Island, Korea. n stilt dancers to celebrate ICACC’s 40 years.

American Ceramic Society Bulletin, Vol. 95, No. 2 | www.ceramics.org 35

The American Ceramic Society’s
5 Ceramic Leadership Summit
th
Where Business and Manufacturing Meet Strategy

Held in conjunction with the 2nd Ceramics Expo

The Ceramic Leadership Summit (CLS), held in conjunction with the second Ceramics Expo, in Cleveland, Ohio, explores opportunities, emerging technologies,
and critical issues that challenge the ceramics and glass materials community. CLS attendees enjoy the intimate setting, discussing business challenges, and
networking without distraction. On the last day of CLS, attendees switch venues, joining the enthusiastic second annual Ceramics Expo at the IX Center.

Featured speakers:
Vertical Innovation Process for Product and Business Supply Chain for Innovation – Timothy Major, supply
Development – John Nottingham, Nottingham Spirk management director of science & technology, Emerging
Innovations Group, Corning Incorporated

Scaling Up for the Production of CMCs for Gas-Turbine Customers: The Importance of Market Validation and
Engines – Matthew O’Connell, industrialization leader, Ceramic Sales Channels – Vladimir Ban, CEO, PD-LD Incorporated
Matrix Composites, GE Aviation – Supply Chain Division, com-
posites value stream

Overview of Global Economy and Supply Chain Business Acquisition Strategy – David Gunderson, global
Economics – Susan Helper, special advisor to the undersecre- business development director, Advance Ceramics Platform,
tary for economic affairs of the U.S. Department of Commerce; 3M
former chief economist, U.S. Department of Commerce; Carlton
Professor of Economics at the Weatherhead School of Manage-
ment, Case Western Reserve University
Creating an Innovative Manufacturing Commercialization of Technology/Business
gy

Company – Michael Murray, chief Development – Bill Payne, Angel Investor

te

technology officer, Morgan Advanced

ra

Materials
St
t
ee
M
ng
ri
tu
ac
uf
an

ch 24
M

M a r
and

rb y
Registe e $150!
ss

to sav
sine
Bu
here
W

ceramics.org/cls2016
April 24–26, 2016 | CLEVELAND, OHIO

36 www.ceramics.org | American Ceramic Society Bulletin, Vol. 95, No. 2

 April 26-28, 2016
Cleveland, Ohio, USA
the manufacturing tradeshow for
ceramic materials and technologies

Plenary Session – The future of the ceramics industry | April 26 | 10:30 – 11:30 A.M.
Main Stage Ceramics Expo – IX Center
The leader’s debate will provide attendees with the perspectives of the largest global ceramic manufacturers in the world. Market growth and
manufacturing challenges will be discussed, along with future expected trends of “onshoring” in relation specifically to the manufacturing of
technical ceramics and glasses in North America.

Future Leaders Program at CLS | April 24 – 26

Know individuals at your company, institution, or university who are rising stars? Nominate them to be part of the Future Leaders Program. Input
from executives, R&D leaders, researchers, engineers, and academicians will be used to design this program to help high-performing young profes-
sionals gain a fuller understanding of their leadership abilities, including their strengths and development areas within the materials science world.

Contact Tricia Freshour at tfreshour@ceramics.org for special pricing information and to nominate a young professional.

The
American
Targeted Learning Workshops
Ceramic
Society’s ceramics.org/expoworkshops2016
Increase your knowledge with ACerS Targeted Learning Workshops, held in conjunction with Ceramics Expo in Cleveland, Ohio
Are you an engineer, scientist, operations professional, or student looking to sharpen your skills and expand your knowledge base? Continue your
education with ACerS Targeted Learning Workshops. Taught by experts, these courses expand on foundational topics and equip attendees with
additional skills needed for the workplace.

To reserve your spot, go to ceramics.org/expoworkshops2016 to select a workshop,

or contact Customer Service at 866-721-3322 or 240-646-7054.

April 24, 1 – 6 p.m. and April 25, 8 a.m. – 2 p.m.
OSHA 10-Hour Industrial Outreach Safety Course
Instructor: Douglas Jeter, Verity Technical Consultants LLC,
adjunct professor
This course provides an introduction to general industry safety as well
as health hazard identification, avoidance, control, and prevention.
Workers, supervisors, and managers who have not previously had for-
mal training in safety or OSHA regulations will benefit from this course.
April 26, 1 – 5 p.m.
Capital for High-Growth Startups
Instructor: Bill Payne, Angel Investor
This half-day workshop is an important event for emerging or
startup entrepreneurs who know that understanding the scope of
financing available to them is a key to success of new companies.
Best practices on how to finance a startup business will be described
and discussed interactively.
April 27, 1 – 5 p.m.
On the Plant Floor: A Practical Guide for
Leaders in the Manufacturing Plant
Instructors: Bryan D. Geary and Carlton F. Sorrell,
OPF Enterprises
This half-day course helps you become a more effective
Geary leader and manager in the manufacturing operation.
Designed as a practical guide to actual problem solving
and culture building at all levels in the manufacturing
plant, real-life solutions to real-life problems are offered.
This course is practical—short on theory and long on
the reality of life in a factory, and is especially valuable for
recent graduates or anyone new to life on the plant floor.
Sorrell
Offered by ACerS Manufacturing Division

American Ceramic Society Bulletin, Vol. 95, No. 2 | www.ceramics.org 37

 April 26 – 28, 2016
@ Cleveland, Ohio

Conference @ Ceramics Expo offers a two-

track conference focusing on various ceramic full agenda
and glass applications and manufacturing
processes. Register today and attend the available
industry's ONLY free-to-attend conference. online

LATEST SPEAKERS CONFIRMED INCLUDE:

Don Bray, Dr. Jay E. Lane, James M. Free,

Vice President, Technology, Engineering Fellow – Director,
North America, Morgan Ceramics and Composites, NASA - Glenn
Advanced Materials Rolls-Royce Research Center

Gary B. Merrill, Michael Peretti, Dr. Dennis Eichorst,

Senior Expert Engineer, Director Advanced Programs, Principal Engineer,
Manufacturing Development Advanced Manufacturing Honeywell FM&T
and Development, Siemens and Materials, GE Aviation

Daniel Elliott Sievers, Dr. Anatoly Rosenflanz, Robert Cook PhD,

Ceramics Engineer, Lead Research Specialist, Business Area Manager – Composites,
Boeing 3M Company Lancer Systems

Secure your free seat online today

38 www.ceramicsexpousa.com www.ceramics.org | American Ceramic Society Bulletin, Vol. 95, No. 2
ceramics.org/gomd2016
2016 glass and optical materials
regis
division annual meeting ter
may 22 –26, 2016 now
!
The Madison Concourse Hotel and Governor’s Club | Madison, Wis., USA
Technical sessions consisting of oral and poster presentations, led by technical leaders from industry, national laboratories, and aca-
demia will provide an open forum for glass scientists and engineers from around the world to present and exchange findings on recent
advances in various aspects related to glass science and technology. The 16-session technical program emphasizes emerging research
in glass, optical and electronic materials and devices, and glass technology.
Early-bird savings end April 10, so register today to secure your $150 discount.
Program Chairs Schedule
Liping Huang John Kieffer
Sunday, May 22, 2016
Rensselaer University of
Polytechnic Registration 4:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.
Michigan
Institute Welcome reception 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Monday, May 23, 2016
Registration 7:00 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.
Stookey Lecture of Discovery 8:00 a.m. – 9:00 a.m.
Technical Program Concurrent Sessions 9:20 a.m. – 5:40 p.m.
S1: Fundamentals of the Glassy State
Lunch on own 12:00 p.m. – 1:20 p.m.
Session 1: Glass Formation and Structural Relaxation
GOMD general business meeting 5:45 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.
Session 2: Fundamentals and Applications of Glass Crystallization
Poster session & student 6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
Session 3: Structural Characterization of Glasses poster competition
Session 4: Computational and Theoretical Studies of Glasses
Session 5: Mechanical Properties of Glasses Tuesday, May 24, 2016
Session 6: Non-oxide and Metallic Glasses Registration 7:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.
Session 7: Glass Under Extreme Conditions George W. Morey Award Lecture 8:00 a.m. – 9:00 a.m.
Concurrent sessions 9:20 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.
S2: Larry L. Hench Memorial Symposium on Bioactive Glasses
The Norbert J. Kreidl Award for Young 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.
S3: Optical and Electronic Materials and Devices— Scholars Lecture
Fundamentals and Applications Lunch on own 12:00 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.
Session 1: Amorphous Ionic and Electronic Conductors: Materials Conference banquet 7:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.
and Devices
Session 2: Optical Fibers Wednesday, May 25, 2016
Session 3: Optical Materials for Components and Devices Registration 7:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Session 4: Laser Interactions with Glass Darshana and Arun Varshneya Frontiers 8:00 a.m. – 9:00 a.m.
of Glass Science Lecture
Session 5: Glass-Ceramics and Optical Ceramics
Concurrent sessions 9:20 a.m. – 5:40 p.m.
S4: Glass Technology and Crosscutting Topics Lunch on own 12:00 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.
Session 1: Glass Surfaces and Functional Coatings Concurrent sessions 1:30 p.m. – 5:40 p.m.
Session 2: Liquid Synthesis and Sol-Gel-Derived Materials
Session 3: Challenges in Glass Manufacturing Thursday, May 26, 2016
Session 4: Waste Immobilization—Waste Form Development: Registration 7:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Processing and Performance Darshana and Arun Varshneya Frontiers 8:00 a.m. – 9:00 a.m.
of Glass Technology Lecture
S5: Festschrift for Professor Donald R. Uhlmann
Concurrent sessions 9:20 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Optional Events Short Courses
Instabilities in Glass | Sunday, May 22, 2016 The Madison Concourse Hotel and
Instructor: Arun Varshneya Governor’s Club
1 W. Dayton St. | Madison, WI 53703
Nucleation, Growth, and Crystallization in Glasses—
ACerS group rate $163 plus tax. Available on or
Fundamentals and Applications before April 22 or until the block sells out.
Instructor: Edgar Zanotto Rooms will go fast—don’t wait to book a room!
Saturday, May 28 – Sunday, May 29, 2016 To make a hotel reservation call 800-356-8293

American Ceramic Society Bulletin, Vol. 95, No. 2 | www.ceramics.org 39

Materials Challenges in
Alternative and Renewable Energy
April 17 - 21, 2016
t o s a ve $ 1 5 0 ! Hilton Clearwater Beach | Clearwater, Fla., USA
7
1

Materials Challenges in Alternative Renewable Energy (MCARE 2016) addresses emerging materials for a sustainable global society.
a rc h

This cutting-edge international conference brings together leading global experts from universities, industry, research and
development laboratories, and government agencies to collaboratively communicate materials technologies that advance affordable,
R e g i s te r b y M

sustainable, environmentally friendly, and renewable energy conversion technologies. MCARE’s engaging atmosphere promotes
student and research participation, providing an open forum for idea exchange with leading researchers.

Organized by: Endorsed by:

ceramics.org/mcare2016
The extensive technical program features plenary and invited talks, thematically focused technical sessions, and poster
presentations, enabling delegates to network and exchange ideas with professional peers and acclaimed experts.
S1 Functional Materials for Photoelectrochemical and S6 Critical Materials for Energy
Electrocatalytic Hydrogen Production S7 Emerging Materials for Next-Generation Photovoltaics
S2 Spectral Conversion Materials for Energy Applications S8 Self-Power Generators
S3 Ferroelectrics and Multiferroics for Energy Applications S9 Direct Thermal-to-Electrical Energy Conversion Materials and Applications
S4 Material Challenges in Nuclear Energy S10 Batteries and Energy Storage
S5 Material Challenges in Fuel Cells S11 Hydrogen Materials and Economy
Program Cochairs
Hilton Clearwater Beach
400 Mandalay Avenue, Clearwater Beach, FL
Phone: (727) 461-3222 | (800) 753-3954
Rates
Sanjay Mathur, Steven Tidrow, Single/Double: $179
University of Frostburg State Government: Current Per Diem Rate
Cologne, Germany University, USA

Cut-off Date: On or before
March 15, 2016

H.T. Lin, Yoon-Bong Hahn,

Guangdong University Chonbuk National
of Technology, China University, South Korea

Register today for this forward-thinking conference!

40 www.ceramics.org | American Ceramic Society Bulletin, Vol. 95, No. 2
ceramics.org/bio2016 Call for Papers

INNOVATIONS IN Submit your

BIOMEDICAL abstract by
March 14,

MATERIALS 2016 2016

Ceramic and Glass Materials for Medical Implants, Medical Devices, and Tissue Engineering
July 29-31, 2016 | Rosemont Hyatt, Chicago, Ill., USA
The Innovations in Biomedical Materials 2016 meeting
will emphasize collaboration between R&D, medical Tracks:
practitioners, and biomedical materials manufacturers/ TRACK 1: Orthopedic Application – Where Are
marketers to better develop emerging technologies into We? Where Do We Need to Go?
marketable products. Three keynote speakers will be
highlighted, immediately followed by an expert panel Track 2: Dental and Maxillofacial
session where the audience can interact with renowned Applications
experts in the biomedical field. The six-track technical Track 3: Material Needs for Medical Devices
program provides a forum for scientists, engineers, medical
Track 4: Advanced Manufacturing
professionals, and industrial researchers to discuss recent
Technologies
advances in the field of biomedical materials.
Track 5: Power Sources, Energy Harvesting,
Program chairs: Power Transmission, and Telemetry
Track 6: Implantable and Wearable Sensors

Roger Narayan Alessandro Alan Markus Reiterer

University of North Porporati Medtronic PLC. USA
Carolina, USA CeramTec GmbH,
Germany

Endorsed by:

American Ceramic Society Bulletin, Vol. 95, No. 2 | www.ceramics.org 41

 new products
Custom ceramic products
T
he Rubis-Precis/Micropierre/High
Tech Ceram group recently developed
a range of wear-resistant custom products
made of ceramic materials, including zir-
conia, alumina oxide, silicon nitride and
carbide, Zerodur, Macor, boron carbide,
quartz, and sapphire. The company also
offers custom machining of hard ceramics
and other materials. Products include wire
guides for metallic wires; cutting blades
for abrasives textiles; wear components for
space, aeronautic, and chemical industries;
and various wear parts used in harsh con-
ditions.
Rubis-Precis/Micropierre/High Tech
Ceram (Charquemont, France)
rubis-precis.com
+33-3-81-68-27-27
Wireless coating thickness measurer
E
lektroPhysik’s new SmarTest thick-
ness measurer sensor concept
includes an app and a wireless sensor to
measure coating thickness. The sensor
combines exceptional precision in mea-
suring and resistance to interference with
the advantages of wireless technology.
Digitally generated readings on the sensor
are relayed by Bluetooth to a smartphone
or tablet. An accompanying SmarTest
app evaluates measurements, replacing
conventional coating thickness gauges.
Ceramco Inc. (Center Conway, N.H.)
ceramcoceramics.com
603-447-2090
42
Heated thin-film applicator
T QC’s new heated perforated vacuum
bed table can be used to create
smooth and consistent thin films of paint,
lacquers, and other materials on sample
specimens. The aluminum vacuum table
is anodized in hardcoat flat black to pro-
vide a durable and inert surface with abso-
lute flatness. The table surface is perfo-
rated with a grid of small holes that holds
the test specimen for proper drawdown
when attached to a vacuum. The vacuum
table has a built-in, digitally controlled
heating mat that evenly heats the table to
100°C above ambient temperature.
Paul N. Gardner Co. Inc. (Pompano
Beach, Fla.)
gardco.com
954-946-9454
Centrifugal screen replacement
K ason’s new K-Series replacement
screen program is for all makes
and models of centrifugal sifters. The
company offers two types of replacement
screens: K-Centri screen cylinders of dura-
ble wire or synthetic screen mesh for gen-
eral purpose applications; and K-Duracyl
screen cylinders of heavy-duty wedgewire
screen or perforated plate screen for
severe-duty jobs involving high material
loadings, abrasive materials, high- and
low-temperature conditions, and cor-
rosive environments. New replacement
screens are available, or damaged screen
cylinders can be stripped and rescreened.
Kason Corp. (Millburn, N.J.)
kason.com
973-467-8140
www.ceramics.org | American Ceramic Society Bulletin, Vol. 95, No. 2
Explosion-proof
disperser
R oss now offers
explosion-proof
high-speed dispersers
suitable for use in
hazardous environments with
flammable vapors,
liquids, solids, or
dusts. Mixers
include safety
systems that ensure the vessel is properly
grounded before the agitator is allowed
to operate. The sawtooth blade of the
disperser creates vigorous flow in low- to
medium-viscosity formulations under
50,000 centipoise. It generates a vortex
on the liquid surface into which dry
ingredients are added for quick wet-out.
Charles Ross & Son Co.
(Hauppauge, N.Y.)
mixers.com
800-243-ROSS
Sapphire wafer carrier
M eller Optics’ new custom-fabricat-
ed sapphire wafer carriers are ide-
ally suited for thinning gallium arsenide
and other semiconductor materials. The
wafers, which have Moh 9 hardness,
feature uniform thickness and parallel-
ism and are available in diameters of
2–6 inches. Sapphire wafers are chip
and scratch resistant, are impervious to
solvents and etchants, can be produced
as thin as 0.018 inch with 1.2 micron
uniform thickness, and can be custom
perforated to fit fixtures.
Meller Optics Inc. (Providence, R.I.)
melleroptics.com
800-821-0180
 resources
Calendar of events
March 2016
6–11 Electric Field Assisted
Sintering and Related Phenomena Far
From Equilibrium – Tomar, Portugal;
www.engconf.org/conferences
7–9 EDKG Annual Meeting and
Symposium on High-Performance
Ceramics – Freiberg, Germany;
www.dkg.de/en/events
28–April 1 2016 MRS Spring
Meeting and Exhibit – Phoenix
Convention Center, Phoenix, Ariz.;
www.mrs.org/spring2016
29–31 St. Louis/RCD 52nd Annual
Symposium – Hilton St. Louis Airport
Hotel, St. Louis, Mo.; www.ceramics.
org/sections/st-louis-section
April 2016
3–6 5th Int’l Directionally Solidified
Eutectic Ceramics Workshop: DSEC V
– Warsaw, Poland; www.dsec5.com
5–6 ACMA Composites Executive
Forum – Washington, D.C.;
www.acmanet.org
7–11 ICG XXIV Int’l Congress –
Shanghai, China; www.icglass.org
17–21 MCARE 2016: Materials
Challenges in Alternative and Renewable
Energy – Hilton Clearwater Beach Resort,
Clearwater, Fla.; www.ceramics.org
25–29 43rd ICMCTF: Int’l Conference
on Metallurgical Coatings and Thin
Films – San Diego, Calif.; www2.avs.
org/conferences/icmctf
26–28 2nd Ceramics Expo – IX
Center, Cleveland, Ohio;
www.ceramicsexpousa.com
26–28 5th Ceramic Leadership
Summit – Cleveland, Ohio;
www.ceramics.org
American Ceramic Society Bulletin, Vol. 95, No. 2 | www.ceramics.org
May 2016
28–31Structural Clay Products
Division Meeting – Embassy Suites,
North Canton, Ohio; www.ceramics.
org/2016-scpd-nbrc-meeting
8–11 ICCPS-13: 13th Int’l
Conference on Ceramic Processing
Science – Nara, Japan;
unit.aist.go.jp/ifmri/tl-int/iccps13
10–12 78th Annual PEI Technical
Forum – Louisville, Ky.;
www.porcelainenamel.com
18–22 WBC2016: 10th World
Biomaterials Congress – Montreal,
Canada; www.wbc2016.org
22–26 Glass and Optical Materials
Division Meeting 2016 – The Madison
Concourse Hotel and Governor’s Club,
Madison, Wis.;
www.ceramics.org/gomd2016
23–25 27th AeroMat Conference and
Exposition – Meydenbauer Center,
Bellevue, Wash.; www.asminter
national.org/web/aeromat-2016
June 2016
19–24 PDC Workshop:
Membranes, Coatings, Fibers, and
Composites – Boulder, Colo.;
www.polymerceramics.weebly.com
26–30 HTCMC 9 and GFMAT: 9th
Int’l Conference on High-Temperature
Ceramic-Matrix Composites and
Global Forum on Advanced Materials
and Technologies for Sustainable
Development 2016 – Toronto Marriott
Downtown Eaton Centre Hotel,
Toronto, Canada; www.ceramics.org
27–29 Electroceramics XV –
Limoges, France;
www.electroceramics15.com
July 2016
3–6 Microwave Materials and Their
Applications – Seoul, South Korea;
www.mma2016.com
11–13 7th Advances in Cement-Based
Materials – Northwestern University,
Evanston, Ill.; www.ceramics.org/7th-
advances-in-cement-based-materials-
cements-2016
5–8 12th European SOFC and
SOE Form: 20th Conference in
Series with Exhibition – Kulture-
und and Kongresszentrum Lucerne,
Switzerland; www.EFCF.com
10–13 3rd Int’l Congress on 3D
Materials Science 2016 – Pheasant
Run Resort, St. Charles, Ill.; www.tms.
org/meetings/2016/3DMS2016
17–21 6th Int’l Conference on
Recrystallization and Grain Growth –
Omni William Penn Hotel, Pittsburgh,
Pa.; www.tms.org/meetings/2016/
ReXGG2016
25–26 Diversity in the Minerals,
Metals, and Materials Professions –
Northwestern University, Evanston, Ill.;
www.tms.org/meetings/2016/
diversity2016
28–31 Innovations in Biomedical
Materials and Technologies –
Rosemont Hyatt, Chicago, Ill.;
www.ceramics.org/biomed2016
31–Aug. 5 Gordon Research
Conference on Ceramics and Solid
State Studies – Mount Holyoke
College, South Hadley, Mass.;
www.grc.org/programs
Dates in RED denote new entry in
this issue.
Entries in BLUE denote ACerS
events.
denotes meetings that ACerS
cosponsors, endorses, or other-
wise cooperates in organizing.
43
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44 www.ceramics.org | American Ceramic Society Bulletin, Vol. 95, No. 2

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NIB-Anz2_1211.indd 1 07.12.11 09:57
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46 www.ceramics.org | American Ceramic Society Bulletin, Vol. 95, No. 2

 adindex March 2016 Call for Book
Find us in ceramicSOURCE 2016 Buyer’s Guide
‡ AMERICAN CERAMIC SOCIETY Authors and
bulletin
Editors
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American Ceramic Society Bulletin, Vol. 95, No. 2 | www.ceramics.org 47

 deciphering the discipline
A monthly column offering the student perspective of the next generation of ceramic and glass
scientists, organized by the ACerS Presidents Council of Student Advisors (PCSA).
Expanding my ceramic
networks to reach
around the world
International conferences are a great
opportunity to present to the wider com-
munity, network with individuals who
are solving similar problems, and travel
to new countries and institutions. As a
Ph.D. student, attending conferences
and workshops has been one of the most
formative parts of my development as a
graduate researcher.
Because many ceramics graduate
programs are small, students often do
not have the opportunity to encounter
other students with similar research
interests. International meetings and
workshops, however, provide oppor-
tunities to interact with peers from all
over the world and build useful con-
tacts and support networks.
This is why ACerS Winter Workshop,
held between the EMA and ICACC
meetings in January 2016, was the most
valuable meeting I have experienced.
The Winter Workshop was incredibly
international—students and young pro-
fessionals from 27 institutions in 17
countries participated in the workshop,
demonstrating the global extent of ACerS
and the ceramics community. Graduate
student and young professional attendees
at various stages of their graduate careers
Attendees at the ACerS Winter Workshop 2016 gather at the University of Central Florida in Orlando, Fla.
48
participated in the workshop.
As an attendee at the workshop, I
had the opportunity to attend after-
noon sessions on the final day of EMA
2016. I don’t work with electronic
materials, so I would not have attended
this conference otherwise—but it was
enlightening to attend technical sessions
in a completely different field and to
experience the personality of another
meeting. EMA’s concluding symposium,
“Failure, the greatest teacher,” provided
a welcome, yet unexpected, experience
that enhanced student perspectives of
the world of research. Workshop attend-
ees also attended ICACC’16 plenary
lectures, which provided global insights
into diverse themes of ceramics research.
In addition to exposure to the techni-
cal meetings, Winter Workshop included
informative technical lectures and pro-
fessional development sessions. ACerS
President’s Council of Student Advisors
and Young Professionals Network orga-
nized the professional development
sessions, which helped bridge the terrify-
ing gap between graduate studies and
the world of work. As someone who is
involved in ACerS student activities, I
was able to discover additional resources
available for the next stage of my career
in ceramics.
Winter Workshop sessions took place
at CREOL, the College of Optics and
Photonics at the University of Central
Florida in Orlando. Many of the inter-
www.ceramics.org | American Ceramic Society Bulletin, Vol. 95, No. 2
Theresa Davey
Guest columnist
national students never had visited
an American university campus and
were blown away by its size and scale—
although it was reassuring to notice the
same wood paneling that is apparently
familiar to universities worldwide.
The first Winter Workshop was
undoubtedly a huge success. Attendees
reiterated that it was the best opportu-
nity that they have had to meet other
students in ceramics and learn about
their research. Although many attendees
first interacted with ACerS through the
workshop, they left wanting to become
more involved in the Society.
In addition, the European Ceramic
Society supported many of the stu-
dents at the workshop, enabling such a
global experience that represented the
diversity of the ceramics community.
I’m grateful that I had this invaluable
opportunity to expand my peer net-
work, socially and professionally.
Theresa Davey is in the final year of
her Ph.D. studies in the Department of
Materials at Imperial College London
in the United Kingdom, where she
calculates phase diagrams of ultra-high-
temperature ceramics. She is the com-
munications chair of PCSA and is on
the Executive Committee for the Global
Graduate Researcher Network. Davey is
an editor of the Imperial College student
newspaper and plays women’s rugby for
the university team. n
 Technical Meeting and Exhibition

CALL FOR PAPERS

SUBMIT YOUR ABSTRACTS BY MARCH 15, 2016

Themes for 2016 include:

Additive Manufacturing
Biomaterials
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Electronic and Magnetic Materials

R G Energy
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ITE
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SC
Iron and Steel (Ferrous Alloys)

AT Materials-Environment Interactions
M Nanomaterials
Processing and Manufacturing
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