Lifeboat Foundation

Circa 2018

Scientists say 1cu cm of the material won’t break under the weight of 800 tonnes.

Form of carbon incorporated into concrete created stronger, more water-resistant composite material that could reduce emissions.

A material that alters it’s heat transfer ability depending on your temperature. Of course, it’s based on the amount of sweat you produce, which should be tied to your exertion level.

This would be good. Especially for space suit applications.

Material responds to moisture by becoming more porous and can dissipate infrared radiation more effectively too.

Continue reading “Smart textile uses sweat as switch to keep wearer cool or warm” »

The material responds to the body’s heat and wetness to help keep us at a comfortable temperature at all times.

Miracle material graphene – considered the strongest substance known to science – has been used to make eco-friendly paint by manufacturer Graphenstone.

The paint is made from a pure lime base that has been combined with graphene – a recently engineered material hailed as the thinnest, strongest and most conductive ever developed.

It will be distributed in the UK through The Graphene Company, which claims Graphenstone is the most environmentally friendly paint in the world.

Continue reading “World’s first graphene paint launches in the UK” »

Circa 2013

When a material is damaged, you wouldn’t expect pulling it apart to suddenly make it less damaged. This counterintuitive effect is exactly what researchers at MIT observed in an experimental model recently, and it was so unexpected that the results had to be rechecked before anyone was ready to believe it. Astonishingly, it seems that under the right conditions, metal with small flaws and cracks can heal itself when tension is applied — if you pull it apart, it puts itself back together.

Continue reading “MIT’s self-healing metal fixes tiny flaws before they can create massive problems” »

An international team composed by scientists of Radboud University and the University Politecnico di Milano has realized the ultimate speed limit of the control of spins in a solid state magnetic material.

Musk has yet to make a definite announcement about a Moon base. He has said we may need one just to get people fired up about Mars, and he is going to shoot someone around the Moon and back. I point this out because the first part of this article makes it seem like Musk has drawn up plans and announced them.

How can astronauts build a lunar base if traditional building materials are too heavy to load into a rocket?

Continue reading “How easy will it be to build a Moon base?” »

When you think of Mexico, you think of tequila and guacamole, says Scott Munguia. If he has his way, you might also be thinking of something else made from the avocado: plastic made from the seed.