Materials & Coatings

On-Demand Webinars: Materials

Achieving Dimensional Stability of Lightweight Thermoplastic Automotive Parts

Use of thermoplastics can contribute to weight savings for exterior components such as body panels, spoilers, and exterior trim. Some applications present...

News: Transportation

New Composite Material Revs Up Pursuit of Advanced EVs

Scientists at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) have used new techniques to create a composite that increases the electrical current capacity of copper wires, providing a...

INSIDER: Materials

Turning Streetwear into Solar Concentrators

Researchers at Empa and ETH Zurich succeeded in developing a material that works like a luminescent solar concentrator and can even be applied to textiles. This opens up numerous possibilities...

Briefs: Materials

Composite Material Increases Electrical Current Capacity of Copper Wires

The material can be scaled for use in ultra-efficient, power-dense, electric vehicle traction motors.

Briefs: Green Design & Manufacturing

Method Turns Fruit Peels into New Batteries

Orange peels are used to extract and reuse metals from lithium-ion batteries to create new batteries.

Briefs: Photonics/Optics

Printable Light Sensors Can See Colors

Printable organic photodiodes can distinguish wavelengths and enable data transmission by light.

Briefs: Green Design & Manufacturing

Faster-Degrading Plastic for Marine Uses

This material could reduce persistent plastic accumulation in the environment.

Briefs: Materials

Janus Particles Improve Paints and Coatings

Other applications include cosmetics, 3D printing, and drug formulations.

Briefs: Electronics & Computers

Soft Magnetic Nanocomposite for High-Temperature Applications

The material can be used in power electronics and power converters for solar energy power systems.

Briefs: Mechanical & Fluid Systems

Electricity-Free Radiative Cooling System

The system is effective in urban environments where there are tall buildings on all sides.

Briefs: Electronics & Computers

Aerogel-Reinforced Composites

The flexible composites can be used as thermal insulation for environments of up to 1200 °C.

Q&A: Electronics & Computers

Q&A: Soft Electronics Treat Heart Arrythmias

A new class of medical instruments uses flexible electronics to improve patient outcomes in minimally invasive surgeries.

Briefs: Manufacturing & Prototyping

Self-Healing, Recyclable, Shape Memory Polymers

This versatile new material family could build realistic prosthetics and futuristic Army platforms.

Briefs: Energy

Sunlight Converts Emissions into Useful Materials

An environmentally friendly method upcycles carbon dioxide emissions into polymers and other materials.

Briefs: Materials

3D-Printed Sweating Robot Muscle

This form of thermal management can help enable untethered, high-powered robots to operate for long periods of time without overheating.

Briefs: Photonics/Optics

Continuous and Stable Lasing Achieved From Low-Cost Perovskites at Room Temperature

With low-cost materials called perovskites, stable, continuous lasing is achieved at room temperature for over an hour.

Application Briefs: Semiconductors & ICs

Material Advances for LED Quantum Dot Efficiency

Creating next-generation LEDs for novel efforts like COVID-19 decontamination requires LED manufacturers to reevaluate the materials that they’re using.

Briefs: AR/AI

Ambient Light Alters Refraction in 2D Material

See how tantalum disulfide is supporting new kinds of optics, and potentially new kinds of application for VR and self-driving cars.

Application Briefs: Manufacturing & Prototyping

Measuring Layer Thickness Using a Microscope

With Nikon's Layer Thickness software module, comprehensive information about a specimen is obtained more quickly than if an operator is making all the measurements by hand.

Products: Photonics/Optics

New Products: November 2020 Photonics & Imaging Technology

Multi-sensor imaging systems, eyesafe laser finders, machine vision algorithms, and more.