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Ultralight ceramic material

10.03.2019

Researchers at UCLA and eight other research institutes have collaborated to create an extremely lightweight and mechanically stable airgel material based on a ceramic compound. This material is primarily used as spacecraft protection due to the fact that it is able to withstand high temperatures and sudden temperature changes, which often occur during space missions.

In addition to resistance to temperature and extremes, the unique atomic composition of the new material and its microscopic structure make it unusually resilient. The material can be compressed up to 5 percent of its original volume and then restored to its original shape. In comparison, other ceramic aerogels can withstand compression without loss up to a maximum of 20 percent of the initial volume.

The basis of the new material is the thinnest layers of boron nitride, a ceramic compound whose atoms form a crystal lattice in the shape of a hexagon.

During testing, the new material was subjected to a variety of influences of various nature, some of which are detrimental to other aerogels. For example, the material remained intact after cooling to a temperature of -198 degrees and then rapidly heating (in a few seconds) to a temperature of 900 degrees. And for a week of constant stay at a temperature of 1400 degrees Celsius, the new material has lost only 1 percent of the initial mechanical strength.

Another distinguishing feature of the new material is its response to temperature rise, which is the opposite of that of any other normal material. As the temperature increases, the new airgel does not expand, but, on the contrary, shrinks in size. This property allows the material to withstand repeated temperature changes without loss of structural integrity and mechanical strength.

A new unique process has been developed to produce the new ceramic airgel. According to available information, this process is suitable for large-scale mass production and can easily be adapted for the production of aerogels from other types of ceramic materials. "These new materials can be extremely useful for the manufacture of high-performance thermal insulation used in space technology, automobiles and technological specialized equipment," the researchers write. "In addition, new materials can be used in thermal energy storage systems, in filtration and catalysis technologies ".

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Lytro Illum post-focus camera 29.04.2014

In October 2011, Lytro introduced the first "light field" cameras that allow you to change the focus on finished shots, with a promise to ship in early 2012. The first Lytro camera was more of a curiosity, designed to demonstrate in practice the efficiency of the idea embodied in it. Today the developer introduced a new model that looks more like other modern cameras.

According to the developer, the Lytro Illum camera captures 40 million rays, forming an image with a resolution of about 5 megapixels.
The Lytro Illum inherits from its predecessor the key ability to capture ray streams, which allows you to subsequently "recalculate" the image by choosing the focus point. Snapshots are saved in a proprietary format that provides the required degree of interactivity.

The Lytro Illum camera is equipped with a modified sensor (1'' format, native resolution 40 MP, ready-made images are available with a resolution of about 5 MP), an 8x zoom lens (30-250 mm equivalent lens focal length) and a constant f/2.0 aperture, patented microlens system, remote shutter connector, tripod mount, flash shoe, replaceable battery, USB 3.0 port, SD card slot, and built-in Wi-Fi. The body of the device is made of magnesium alloy. At the same time, the weight of the camera together with the lens is 680 g.

The camera can be controlled mainly using the 4-inch touch screen. The display is located at an angle to the lens, which allows for comfortable shooting "from the hip").

The display allows you to view the interactive image output from the matrix before saving. Subsequently, the images can be processed on a PC: special software comes with the camera. It also allows you to create interactive animations from the captured images.

If the buyer pre-orders the Lytro Illum, they promise to engrave the inscription on the camera body for free, give a special belt as a gift, and also publish two pictures taken by him with the new camera on the Lytro website. The pre-order price of the device is $1499 ($100 less than the standard price). Camera delivery date - July 2014.

The new camera has obvious advantages compared to the first Lytro model: the display allows you to see how the picture will turn out in the end (this was clearly not enough in the first model), thanks to a more massive body, it was possible to install a memory card slot, and the sensor has 3,6, XNUMX times higher resolution.

Illum will go on sale in July for $1599.

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