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: Power
The battery charges faster than a lithium-ion battery and is fire-safe and eco-friendly.
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Briefs: Materials
A new design could extend the shelf-life of single-use metal-air batteries for electric vehicles, off-grid storage, and other applications.
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Briefs: Energy
Activated carbon made from corn stover filters 98 percent of a pollutant from water.
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Briefs: Materials
An optimized flash process could reduce carbon emissions.
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Briefs: Photonics/Optics
Researchers from SEAS have found "hidden potential" in metasurfaces.
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Briefs: Materials
These elastomers have a wide range of uses for the building, automotive, and electronics industries.
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Briefs: Robotics, Automation & Control
The suit can be controlled with a double tap to the chest or via an app.
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Briefs: Medical
The device combines with body power to treat tendon disease and damage, and sports injuries.
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Briefs: Mechanical & Fluid Systems
The system creates accurate defect standards for in-situ inspection systems.
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Briefs: Test & Measurement
Diamonds’ atomic flaws are converted into atomic sensors that watch a quantum world of materials under extreme pressure.
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Briefs: Manufacturing & Prototyping
The hydrogels can morph multiple times in a preprogrammed or on-demand manner in response to external trigger signals.
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Briefs: Robotics, Automation & Control
Biobots based on muscle cells can swim at unprecedented velocities.
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Briefs: Materials
The flexible, self-healing coating protects buildings, bridges, and anything above or below the water made of steel.
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Briefs: Mechanical & Fluid Systems
An electrically driven soft valve paves the way for fully soft robots.
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Briefs: AR/AI
The fiber contains memory, temperature sensors, and a trained neural network program for inferring physical activity.
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Briefs: Robotics, Automation & Control
This robot can run, jump, carry heavy payloads, and turn on a dime.
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Briefs: Sensors/Data Acquisition
SensiCut, a smart material-sensing platform for laser cutters, can differentiate among 30 materials commonly found in makerspaces.
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Briefs: Sensors/Data Acquisition
The device provides the first step toward ultrasensitive biosensors to detect diseases at the molecular level with near-perfect efficiency.
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Briefs: Materials
The camera combines lasers, computers, and terahertz waves to see “unseen” details.
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Briefs: Materials
The film monitors how well aircraft and spacecraft withstand the mechanical stresses of flight.
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Briefs: Materials
The approach could advance the potential of high-powered, solid-electrolyte lithium batteries.
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Briefs: Photonics/Optics
The windows reduce the need for air conditioning and simultaneously generate electricity.
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Briefs: Wearables
Comfortable, form-fitting garments could be used to remotely track patients’ health.
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Briefs: Materials
This technology improves the detection of low-power far-infrared (FIR) signals.
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Briefs: Photonics/Optics
The “nanoswimmers” could be used to remediate contaminated soil, improve water filtration, or even deliver drugs to targeted areas of the body.
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Briefs: Nanotechnology
The technique controls rather than combats ice formation.
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Briefs: Transportation
The low-density, graphene-based aerogel could make aircraft as quiet as a hairdryer.
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Briefs: Green Design & Manufacturing
The eco-friendly process removes heavy metals, dyes, and other pollutants.
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Briefs: Photonics/Optics
The design may enable miniature zoom lenses for drones, cellphones, or night-vision goggles.
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