Materials & Coatings

R&D to Production – How to Speed Up Your Electrification Product Development

This 20-minute Tech Talk examines the best course of action for your programs as they move from R&D to prototyping, pre-production, and finally full...

Centimeter-Long Snail Robot Powered with Light

The soft robot harvests energy from a laser beam and can crawl on horizontal surfaces and climb vertical walls and an upside-down glass ceiling.

Facility Focus: The Pennsylvania State University School of Engineering

Learn about the batteries, skin sensors, flexible antennas, and other cutting-edge research coming from Penn State Engineering.

Sustainable 3D-Printed Magnets

An alternative, environmentally friendly production method creates permanent magnets.

Q&A: Flexible, Printable, Tunable Microwave Resonator Arrays

Fiorenzo Omenetto, Frank C. Doble Professor of Engineering at Tufts University School of Engineering, Dean of Research, and Director of the Tufts Silklab led a team that has...

Solid-State Carbon Dioxide Sensor

Applications include wearables, airplane cabin monitoring, medical diagnostics, and indoor air quality measurement.

Say Goodbye to the Dots and Dashes to Enhance Optical Storage Media

To modernize optical storage, Purdue researchers are replacing Morse code with colored “digital characters.”

A Sharper Look at the Interior of Semiconductors

A new imaging method allows researchers to see inside complex semiconductors, without destroying them.

The Hidden Effects of Optical Coating Stress

For applications requiring high-energy material deposition coatings, you'll need to understand how stress can impact surface figure and system performance.

New Electron Microscopy Technique Offers First Look at Previously Hidden Processes

Northwestern researchers have developed a new microscopy method that allows scientists to see the building blocks of “smart” materials.

Backside Illumination Gets Fast

A new high-speed sensor pushes the boundaries in light-starved conditions.

Metal-Free, Recyclable Polypeptide Battery Degrades on Demand

The new battery is degradable, recyclable, non-toxic, and safer than lithium-ion batteries.

New Materials Move Li-Ion Batteries Toward the Solid-State Endgame

A new generation of lithium-ion batteries is poised to improve electric vehicle range and affordability.

Hybrid Membrane Doubles the Lifetime of Rechargeable Batteries

The membrane prevents dendrite formation, at least doubling the lifetime of a lithium-metal battery.

New Products: September 2021 Battery Technology

Lithium batteries, compartment gaskets, chargers, and more.

Rechargeable Cement-Based Batteries

An entire 20-story concrete building could store energy like a giant battery.

Sustainable Aluminum-Anode Batteries

The rechargeable batteries could be a safer and more environmentally friendly alternative to lithium-ion batteries.

How to Turn 'Stubborn' Metals into Thin Films

Researchers from the University of Minnesota discovered a way to convert "stubborn" metals like platinum and tungsten into thin films.

“Flexoelectricity” in Soft Elastomers Could Improve Robot Movement

A connection between electricity and mechanical motion in soft, rubber-like materials could improve robot range.

Coiled Linear Actuators for Soft Robotics

This artificial muscle technology enables more human-like motion.

Shape Memory Alloy (SMA)-Enabled Actuators

SMA tube elements drive rotary and ring gear motion in compact, powerful actuators.

Method Turns Discarded Plastic into Surfactants

The chemical process turns plastic into biodegradable chemicals for surfactants and detergents.

Heat-Resilient Silver Circuits for Extreme Electronics

The tough circuits could withstand the grueling demands of energy production, space exploration, and more.

Shape Memory Alloy Tubular Structure

Applications include vehicle and aircraft tires, sports helmets, military equipment, and seals and couplings.

New on the Market: August 2021

Epoxies, reverse-engineering software, temperature loggers, and more.