Tech Briefs

Materials & Manufacturing

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

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Briefs: Manufacturing & Prototyping
This form of thermal management can help enable untethered, high-powered robots to operate for long periods of time without overheating.
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Briefs: Semiconductors & ICs
With low-cost materials called perovskites, stable, continuous lasing is achieved at room temperature for over an hour.
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Briefs: Photonics/Optics
See how tantalum disulfide is supporting new kinds of optics, and potentially new kinds of application for VR and self-driving cars.
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Briefs: Electronics & Computers
A nanostructure design lends extraordinary strength to a promising storage ingredient.
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Briefs: Imaging
A metal-organic framework does not contain cost-intensive raw materials and can be produced in bulk.
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Briefs: Imaging
Applications include low-light conditions such as on orbital satellites and VR applications where the lens needs to be larger than a pupil.
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Briefs: Test & Measurement
This method could benefit next-generation electronics.
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Briefs: Energy
The new battery technology could improve electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft and supercharge safe, long-range electric cars.
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Briefs: Semiconductors & ICs
These non-reciprocal devices on a compact chip pave the way for applications from two-way wireless to quantum computing.
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Briefs: Materials
This technique may enable speedy, on-demand design of softer, safer neural devices.
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Briefs: Materials
This technology makes it possible to save extensive data in objects such as shirt buttons, water bottles, or the lenses of glasses and then retrieve it years later.
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Briefs: Materials
The technique could enable the printing of circuit boards, electromechanical components, and robots.
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Briefs: Imaging
Tiny aircraft that weigh as much as a fruit fly could serve as Martian atmospheric probes.
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Briefs: Manufacturing & Prototyping
Applications include rapid prototyping, medical, aerospace, and automotive.
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Briefs: Manufacturing & Prototyping
Temperature data is used to tune, and fix, defects in 3D-printed metallic parts.
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Briefs: Sensors/Data Acquisition
This approach could engineer quantum materials atom-by-atom for new electronic, magnetic, and sensing applications.
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Briefs: Software
The software assesses the quality of parts in real time, without the need for expensive characterization equipment.
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Briefs: Photonics/Optics
This method could impact optical technologies such as smartphone cameras, biosensors, or autonomous vision for robots and self-driving cars.
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Briefs: Electronics & Computers
The algorithm provides an extra layer of safety and security against hackers of electronic devices.
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Briefs: Photonics/Optics
This method can be used in astronomy, surveillance, and optics manufacturing.
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Briefs: Data Acquisition
“EasyPass” would enable smart warehouses, automated factories, and more to operate without delays.
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Briefs: Materials
Perovskites could be the active ingredient that makes the next generation of low-cost, efficient, lightweight, and flexible solar cells.
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Briefs: Semiconductors & ICs
To make electronic components smaller, semiconductor 2D materials are combined with new types of insulator materials.
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Briefs: Materials
A soft hydrogel, driven by an oscillatory chemical reaction, produces an autonomous integrated pump for microfluidic applications.
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Briefs: Data Acquisition
The instrument has uses in photography where the goal is to image a dim object near a bright one.
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Briefs: Imaging
This eye-on-a-chip can help treatment of dry eye disease.
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Briefs: Aerospace
Biomaterial Shields Against Harmful Radiation
A new form of melanin can protect human tissue from X-rays during medical treatment or spaceflight.
Briefs: Electronics & Computers
In place of flat breadboards, 3D-printed CurveBoards enable easier testing of circuit design on electronics products.
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Briefs: Materials
This material could be used for artificial muscles that power bio-inspired robots.
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