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: Materials
Real-time health monitoring and sensing abilities of robots require soft electronics, but a challenge of using such materials lies in their reliability.
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Briefs: Mechanical & Fluid Systems
Sensors need to be flexible, stretchable, biodegradable, safe, and stable for use in the body.
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Briefs: Materials
The material can be recycled, making renewable energy more sustainable while lowering costs in the process.
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Briefs: Wearables
A stretchable system can harvest energy from human breathing and motion.
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Briefs: Test & Measurement
The method could be key to designing more efficient batteries for specific uses such as electric cars and airplanes.
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Briefs: Energy
This technology charges lithium batteries faster and reduces the risk of device explosions.
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Briefs: Materials
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 fundamentally...
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Briefs: Green Design & Manufacturing
By emulating the natural cellular architecture of wood, green products such as clothes, packaging, and furniture can be manufactured with unique properties.
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Briefs: Software
This tool provides faster and more detailed composite damage simulation results.
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Briefs: Materials
Wafer-Scale Membrane Release Process
This process fabricates thin dielectric membranes with high mechanical yields.
Briefs: Manufacturing & Prototyping
A newly developed architected metamaterial has the ability to change shape in a tunable fashion.
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Briefs: Materials
The material could help protect both civilian and military personnel in earthquakes.
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Briefs: Materials
This integrated nanosensor is printed on a daughter board using 3D printing techniques.
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Briefs: Materials
The improved rectennas could operate low-power devices such as temperature sensors.
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Briefs: Materials
The technology welds adjacent 3D-printed layers more effectively, thereby increasing the reliability of the final part.
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Briefs: Photonics/Optics
Ultra-thin and flexible metalenses could replace traditional camera lenses.
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Briefs: Manufacturing & Prototyping
These nanomaterial strain sensors are ten times more sensitive when measuring minute movements compared to existing technology.
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Briefs: Materials
The polyimide composites have uses in aerospace, automotive, construction, electronics, mechanical systems, and industrial machinery.
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Briefs: Materials
A new method manufactures complex shapeshifters for soft robots and biomedical implants.
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Briefs: Sensors/Data Acquisition
Applications include terahertz medical imaging and communications.
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Briefs: Imaging
This rapid and cost-effective technique yields a uniform etched surface with 99.5 percent emissivity.
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Briefs: Materials
Material for Wearable Biosensors
Electrospinning is used to make porous silicone that allows sweat to evaporate.
Briefs: Test & Measurement
This system treats light-responsive disorders or deficits such as eating disorders, sleep problems, hormone-sensitive cancers, and cardiovascular disorders.
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Briefs: Materials
A new method of linking materials with unique mechanical properties could enable robots made of robots.
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Briefs: Wearables
The stretchable sensor has applications in environmental monitoring and healthcare.
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Briefs: Sensors/Data Acquisition
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.
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Briefs: Test & Measurement
Applications include detection of explosives, navigation, and aerospace altitude sensing.
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Briefs: Lighting
The material could enable cheaper and more environmentally friendly displays and large-area lighting.
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Briefs: Mechanical & Fluid Systems
A technique enables manufacturing of minuscule robots by interlocking multiple materials in a complex way.
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