Materials & Coatings

Small and Dexterous Cockroach-Inspired Robot

This robot can run, jump, carry heavy payloads, and turn on a dime.

Q&A: Ultra-Fast Manufacturing of Wearable Sensors

An "E-Skin" material can be printed without polymer binders.

Smart Laser Cutter System Detects Different Materials

SensiCut, a smart material-sensing platform for laser cutters, can differentiate among 30 materials commonly found in makerspaces.

Layers of Crystalline Nanosheets Enable Tunable Electronic Properties

Boron is a versatile non-metal element, but until the last five years, chemists have only theorized about the useful properties and applications of two-dimensional...

Paving the Way for UV-Enabled Flexible Wearable Tech

To enable the development of wearable devices that possess advanced ultraviolet (UV) detection functions, scientists from NTU Singapore have created a new type of light sensor that is...

High-Reliability Coating Solutions for Demanding Environments

As materials continue to advance, a variety of coating solutions are being used to enhance reliability and add measurable value to applications around the world.

Facility Focus: Purdue University College of Engineering

Purdue University is helping to create better battery monitoring, stretchable biosensors, allergen detectors, and more.

Directed Energy Deposition Offers Advantages for Efficient Additive Manufacturing

Learn what to look for when selecting computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) programming software for the DED manufacturing process.

Method Enables Wings to be De-Iced in Flight

The technique controls rather than combats ice formation.

Meringue-Like Material Reduces Aircraft Noise

The low-density, graphene-based aerogel could make aircraft as quiet as a hairdryer.

Water Purification System Engineered from Wood

The eco-friendly process removes heavy metals, dyes, and other pollutants.

Camera Captures Images of Interior of Solid Objects

The camera combines lasers, computers, and terahertz waves to see “unseen” details.

Sensor Film for Aerospace

The film monitors how well aircraft and spacecraft withstand the mechanical stresses of flight.

5 Ws of Power-Generating Fibers

Fibers sewn into fabrics can turn heat from the Sun into energy that could power textile electronics.

Sensors Woven into a Shirt can Monitor Vital Signs

Comfortable, form-fitting garments could be used to remotely track patients’ health.

Far-Infrared Microwave Kinetic Inductance Detector (FIR MKID) Array

This technology improves the detection of low-power far-infrared (FIR) signals.

Self-Propelled Nanorobots

The “nanoswimmers” could be used to remediate contaminated soil, improve water filtration, or even deliver drugs to targeted areas of the body.

Products of Tomorrow: December 2021

NASA-developed fire protection, implantable stimulators, and more.

UpFront: December 2021

NASA's satellite data reveals the pandemic's effect on our atmosphere, and a team of shoebox-sized rover scouts is prepped for the lunar surface.

Preventing Short-Circuiting in Next-Generation Lithium Batteries

The approach could advance the potential of high-powered, solid-electrolyte lithium batteries.

Thermochromic Photovoltaic Windows

The windows reduce the need for air conditioning and simultaneously generate electricity.

Researchers Determine Optimum Pressure to Improve the Performance of Lithium Metal Batteries

A team of materials scientists and chemists has determined the proper stack pressure that lithium metal batteries, or LMBs, need to be subjected...

Prize-Winning Technology for Large-Scale Energy Storage

Safe, cheap, and sustainable technology for energy storage has been developed at the Laboratory of Organic Electronics, Linköping University (LiU). It is based on two major...

High-Performance Mxene Electrodes for Next-Generation Powerful Battery

Scientists from City University of Hong Kong (CityU) has recently developed battery-like electrochemical Nb2CTx MXene electrodes.