Just A Pinch of Salt Makes the Wheels Go Round
As the Boston area cleans up after another Nor’easter (New England’s name for a blizzard), we considered the practice of salting roads during and after these winter storms. If you have observed this practice, you will first notice that the salt used on roads bears little resemblance to the salt on your dining room table. […]
From Catheters to Ski Boots: Polyether Block Amide Resins
Highly engineered thermoplastic elastomers are finding broad application use these days. Traditionally, elastomers often involved silicones, polyurethanes, or crosslinked rubbers. For applications requiring greater mechanical properties, such as impact strength, modulus, and fatigue strength, block copolymers comprised of polyether amide (PEBA) are often found. PEBAs are formed from the condensation polymerization of a carboxylic polyamide […]
A Tale of Two Footballs
Material Characterization of Synthetic vs. Leather Balls The argument of synthetic over natural leather in football and other sports, such as rugby or basketball, ultimately comes down to ball feel and grip. Rugby has transitioned to synthetic surfaces (and anyone who ever caught a high ball made from leather in wet conditions is grateful for […]
Cleanliness in Medical Devices
Join CPG scientists Stephen Spiegelberg and Gavin Braithwaite for a webinar on medical device cleanliness. The discussion will include examples of what happens when cleaning processes are not properly verified and validated, how to establish the number of samples to test, how to test for device cleanliness, and how to establish acceptable residue limits. Dr. […]
Silly Putty Plus Graphene Yields Sensitive Pressure Sensor
A group of Irish researchers from Trinity College, Dublin have created a new, extremely sensitive pressure detector using Silly Putty. Physicist Jonathan Coleman mainly works with graphene, a 2D material that was isolated in 2004 with remarkable properties. Graphene is strong (200 times greater than steel), thin (1 million times thinner than a human hair), […]
The Importance of Failure Analysis
Earlier this week, Samsung announced the results of their investigation into the Galaxy Note 7 failure. The Galaxy Note 7 phones spontaneously caught fire, leading to a recall of approximately 2.5 million devices and losses of over $2 billion dollars. Though the initial defective phones were recalled, their replacements also began to catch fire, spawning […]
Use of Olive Oil in Packaging Analysis
Olive oil, which is simply the oil extracted from the fruit of olive trees, has been cultivated for thousands of years across the Mediterranean Basin. Today, olive oil is steadily increasing in popularity across the globe due to its health benefits. Some studies suggest that long-term consumption of small amounts of olive oil may aid […]
I Can See Clearly Now
An abandoned house or factory building is often associated with windows boarded up with plywood. Over time, glass windows can break due to neglect or vandalism, and the plywood boarding helps prevent rain, snow, and debris from entering the building. The appearance of plywood boarding, however, draws attention to the abandoned nature of the building, […]
Evolution of Drug Resistant Bacteria
Recently there has been increasing concern with antibiotic resistant bacteria. To a large extent, this increase can be attributed to over-subscription of antibiotics leading to evolved resistance of the bacteria. At its worst, this heightened use of antibiotics has led to organisms such as Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), also known as a “super bug”. The […]
Rheology’s Role in Dysphagia
Ever have a lump in your throat? You may have dysphagia, a medical condition whereby the patient has difficulty swallowing solids and liquids. There are multiple causes for dysphagia, ranging from gastroesophageal reflux to esophageal cancer. If not treated, pulmonary aspiration could occur when liquids enter the lungs by accident. Treatment of dysphagia depends on […]