Materials & Coatings

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

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Briefs: Mechanical & Fluid Systems
The researchers created these sensing structures using just one material and a single run on a 3D printer.
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Briefs: Materials
The coating is customizable to individuals and requires less than 10 minutes to prepare and use.
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Briefs: Robotics, Automation & Control
Made from 3D graphene foam, the sensors use a piezoresistive approach, meaning when the material is put under pressure it dynamically changes its electric resistance, easily detecting and adapting to the range of pressure required, from light to heavy.
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Briefs: Lighting Technology
But they’re not yet small enough to compete in computing and other applications where electric circuits continue to reign.
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Briefs: Electronics & Computers
An open-access study in Advanced Science outlines the process by which Preston and lead author Faye Yap harnessed a spider’s physiology in a first step toward a novel area of research they call “necrobotics.”
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Briefs: Test & Measurement
Cubic boron arsenide provides high mobility to both electrons and holes, and it has excellent thermal conductivity. It is, according to the researchers, the best semiconductor material ever found.
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Briefs: Electronics & Computers
The technology allows for higher surface conductivity, improved impedance control, expanded design and application potential, and greater choice of materials for optimized performance.
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Briefs: Test & Measurement
The innovation opens the door for faster and more affordable at-home medical testing.
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Briefs: Sensors/Data Acquisition
Adding a flexible backing to this kind of brain-computer interface allows the device to more evenly conform to the brain’s complex curved surface and to more uniformly distribute the microneedles that pierce the cortex.
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Briefs: Manufacturing & Prototyping
One common limitation of AM has been that produced articles cannot be recycled without substantial energy costs.
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Briefs: Materials
By incorporating a special type of plastic yarn and using heat to slightly melt it — a process called thermoforming — the researchers were able to greatly improve the precision of pressure sensors woven into multilayered knit textiles, which they call 3DKnITS.
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Briefs: Materials
Since it is a chemical sensor instead of being enzyme-based, the new technology is robust, has a long shelf-life and can be tuned to detect lower glucose concentrations than current systems.
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Briefs: Medical
Researchers formulated and synthesized the bio-inks, with the goal of creating create an ultra-soft, thin, and stretchable material for biosensors that is capable of seamlessly interfacing with the surface of organs.
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Briefs: Energy
Energy Storage Materials Make Batteries More Efficient and Heat-Resistant
In redox flow batteries, the energy-storing components are dissolved in a solvent and can be stored at a decentralized location.
Briefs: Materials
This invention is a method of removing or adsorbing a target substance or material.
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Briefs: AR/AI
The system makes it possible to integrate data from prior experiments, and information based on personal observations by experienced workers, into the machine learning process.
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Briefs: Materials
Researchers have developed an inexpensive and eco-friendly steam generator to desalinate and purify water using sunlight.
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Briefs: Energy
Lithium-ion batteries are currently the preferred technology for powering electric vehicles, but they’re too expensive for long-duration grid-scale energy storage systems.
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Briefs: Energy
In batteries, electrolyte is the circulating “blood” that keeps the energy flowing. The electrolyte forms by dissolving salts in solvents, resulting in charged ions that flow between the positive and negative electrodes.
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Briefs: Green Design & Manufacturing
Over the course of their research, the team discovered that these anthraquinones decompose slowly over time, regardless of how many times the battery has been used.
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Briefs: Power
An experimental plant-based jet fuel could increase engine performance and efficiency, while dispensing with aromatics, the pollution-causing compounds found in conventional fuels.
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Briefs: Photonics/Optics
Tests showed the metalens they made could focus its 197-nanometer output onto a spot measuring 1.7 microns in diameter, increasing the power density of the light output by 21 times.
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Briefs: Photonics/Optics
Plasmonics is a technology that essentially traps the energy of light in groups of electrons oscillating together on a metal surface.
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Briefs: Materials
Applications include a smart fabric for exoskeletons, an adaptive cast that adjusts its stiffness as an injury heals, or a deployable bridge that could be unrolled and stiffened.
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Briefs: Electronics & Computers
A simple change to the surface of perovskite removes a barrier to its functionality.
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Briefs: Medical
Additional applications include defogging/defrosting, wearable devices, industrial heat systems, sensors, thermochromic displays, and microfluidic chips.
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Briefs: Materials
The material remains effective as an energy harvester or sensor at temperatures to well above 572°F.
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Briefs: Sensors/Data Acquisition
The process predicts when and where microscopic cracks will occur before they become catastrophic.
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Briefs: Energy
Hydrogen has emerged as an important carrier to store energy generated by renewable resources, as a substitute for fossil fuels used for transportation, in the production of ammonia, and for other industrial applications.
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Webcasts

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On-Demand Webinars: Defense

From Data to Decision: How AI Enhances Warfighter Readiness

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Upcoming Webinars: Aerospace

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Upcoming Webinars: Manufacturing & Prototyping

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Upcoming Webinars: Materials

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Upcoming Webinars: Test & Measurement

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Upcoming Webinars: Aerospace

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