Materials & Coatings

Access our comprehensive library of technical briefs on materials and coatings, from engineering experts at NASA and government, university, and commercial laboratories.

Briefs: Materials

Stretchable Micro-Supercapacitors Self-Power Wearable Devices

A stretchable system can harvest energy from human breathing and motion.

Briefs: Electronics & Computers

Method Tracks What Happens Inside Batteries

The method could be key to designing more efficient batteries for specific uses such as electric cars and airplanes.

Briefs: Transportation

Design Enables Safe Storage of Lithium Ions

This technology charges lithium batteries faster and reduces the risk of device explosions.

Briefs: Materials

Flexible, Thin-Film Battery

Computers or smartphones with folding screens, smart clothing, and wearable sensors all require an energy source, which is usually a lithium-ion battery. These are typically heavy and rigid, making them...

Briefs: Manufacturing & Prototyping

3D Printing with Wood-Based Ink

By emulating the natural cellular architecture of wood, green products such as clothes, packaging, and furniture can be manufactured with unique properties.

Briefs: Software

Damage Simulation Tool for Composite Laminates

This tool provides faster and more detailed composite damage simulation results.

Briefs: Manufacturing & Prototyping

Wafer-Scale Membrane Release Process

This process fabricates thin dielectric membranes with high mechanical yields.

Briefs: Energy

Metamaterial Morphs into New Shapes and Takes on New Properties

A newly developed architected metamaterial has the ability to change shape in a tunable fashion.

Briefs: Materials

Flexible Material Helps Buildings Withstand Energy Waves

The material could help protect both civilian and military personnel in earthquakes.

Briefs: Nanotechnology

Printable Chemical Nanosensor

This integrated nanosensor is printed on a daughter board using 3D printing techniques.

Briefs: Energy

New Materials Boost Efficiency and Stability of Optical Rectennas

Rectennas convert electromagnetic fields at optical frequencies directly to electrical current. Optical rectennas operate by coupling light’s electromagnetic field to an...

Briefs: Manufacturing & Prototyping

Technology Remedies 3D Printing’s “Weak Spot”

The technology welds adjacent 3D-printed layers more effectively, thereby increasing the reliability of the final part.

Briefs: Imaging

Manufacturing Ultra-Thin Camera Lenses

Ultra-thin and flexible metalenses could replace traditional camera lenses.

Briefs: Electronics & Computers

Ultra-Thin, Battery-Free Strain Sensors for Industrial Robotic Arms

These nanomaterial strain sensors are ten times more sensitive when measuring minute movements compared to existing technology.

Briefs: Robotics, Automation & Control

4D Printing of Morphing Structures

A new method manufactures complex shapeshifters for soft robots and biomedical implants.

Briefs: Photonics/Optics

Niobium Titanium Nitride Thin Film Coating

Applications include terahertz medical imaging and communications.

Briefs: Imaging

A Near-Perfect Blackbody Calibration Target

This rapid and cost-effective technique yields a uniform etched surface with 99.5 percent emissivity.

Briefs: Materials

Material for Wearable Biosensors

Electrospinning is used to make porous silicone that allows sweat to evaporate.

Briefs: Test & Measurement

Photoreceptor System for Melatonin Regulation and Phototherapy

This system treats light-responsive disorders or deficits such as eating disorders, sleep problems, hormone-sensitive cancers, and cardiovascular disorders.

Briefs: Robotics, Automation & Control

Linking Materials May Transform Robots Made of Robots

A new method of linking materials with unique mechanical properties could enable robots made of robots.

Briefs: Sensors/Data Acquisition

Wearable, Stretchable Gas Sensor

The stretchable sensor has applications in environmental monitoring and healthcare.

Briefs: Test & Measurement

Smart Fabric Detects and Collects Space Dust

A smart fiber being tested on the International Space Station could be used to develop space dust telescopes and allow astronauts to feel through their pressurized suits.