materials science

Where Stuff Comes From

A Meditation On ‘Where Stuff Comes From.’

‘Where stuff comes from’ embodies deep first-principle physics, technological, philosophical, strategic, historical, and geopolitical considerations that will define the fate of governments, the present great power conflict, million of businesses in the United Staes and ‘allied’ countries, and every single individual around the world.

“Where Stuff Comes From” will slowly evolve into a modest attempt to tell compelling stories about how raw materials in the ground and in the sky are transformed through a thrilling web of global mining, processing, manufacturing, transportation, and sales machines into the products that we know and love (and that drive our civilization).

By Maxwell Goldberg, ago

The 2010 Rare-Earth Metals Trade Dispute & Supply Chain Resiliency

Gone are the days of steel and fuel defining world superpowers.

Today’s technological and economic superpowers earned their enviable positions based on their unique abilities to explore and utilize untapped parts of the periodic table (and the world) to unlock new technological capabilities made possible only by the most exotic of elements.

But right now, China controls 97% of the production of United States rare-earth metal imports.

By Maxwell Goldberg, ago

Critical Minerals Are Among The United States’ Greatest Vulnerabilities.

Critical minerals source security is one of the greatest threats that the United States faces heading into this new decade. The country faces many challenges on the road to critical mineral independence, but with well-thought-out sourcing strategy and proper risk management, the United States federal government and industrial base will come out with a secure and reliable critical minerals supply chain.

By Maxwell Goldberg, ago

Materials Science In Aerospace: Silicon Nitride And The Space Shuttle

With extraordinary strength, thermal resistance, and chemical properties, ceramics impact our lives on a daily basis — particularly in the space-launch world. One of the most widely-utilized ceramics is Silicon Nitride (Si3N4). From the space shuttle to medical implants, engineers deploy this advanced ceramic in the most extreme applications. This brief article focuses on how aerospace engineers use Si3N4 to aid mankind’s mission to explore the solar system.

By Maxwell Goldberg, ago