Materials & Coatings

Composites

Explore the latest developments, technical briefs, and a wide range of white papers on the composites used in military, aviation, medical devices, and automotive applications.

Stories

Articles: Electronics & Computers

Low-Cost, Fast Production of Solid-State Batteries

A disruptive manufacturing technology now offers reduced manufacturing costs and improved volumetric energy density in all-solid cells.

Articles: Automotive

Products of Tomorrow

NASA's graphene composites, textile pressure sensors, and a better kind of glass.

Briefs: Electronics & Computers

Polymer/Ceramic Composite as a Thin-Film Solid Electrolyte

This composite can be used in lithium metal batteries.

Briefs: Energy

Material Moves Wind Turbine Blades Toward Recyclability

The material can be recycled, making renewable energy more sustainable while lowering costs in the process.

Briefs: Materials

Process Turns Plastic Bags into Adhesives

A chemical process converts polyethylene plastic into a strong, valuable adhesive.

Briefs: Mechanical & Fluid Systems

3D-Printed Composites for High-Temperature Uses

The polyimide composites have uses in aerospace, automotive, construction, electronics, mechanical systems, and industrial machinery.

Briefs: Materials

Wearable, Stretchable Gas Sensor

The stretchable sensor has applications in environmental monitoring and healthcare.

Articles: Manufacturing & Prototyping

Products of Tomorrow

Next-generation solar panels, 3D-printed composites from NASA, and a new way to sterilize medical devices.

News: Motion Control

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 material that...

INSIDER: Photonics/Optics

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 for...

Briefs: Materials

Aerogel-Reinforced Composites

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

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: Imaging

Nanocardboard Aircraft with No Moving Parts

Tiny aircraft that weigh as much as a fruit fly could serve as Martian atmospheric probes.

Briefs: Motion Control

Aerogels Protect Against Electromagnetic Interference

Aerogels based on cellulose nanofibers can effectively shield electromagnetic radiation over a wide frequency range.

Briefs: Imaging

Polymer Composite for Radiation Shielding

The polymer composite could replace conventional radiation shielding materials such as lead.

Briefs: Energy

Tough, Solid Electrolyte Battery Component

Using ceramic material and graphene, the toughness of solid-state lithium-ion batteries can be doubled.

Briefs: Materials

Smart Sponge for Environmental Remediation

This highly porous sponge absorbs more than 30 times its weight in oil and can be reused up to several dozen times.

INSIDER: Imaging

Transparent Graphene Electrodes Might Lead to New Generation of Solar Cells

A new way of making large sheets of high-quality, atomically thin graphene could lead to ultra-lightweight, flexible solar cells, and to new classes of...

Question of the Week: Materials

Our lead INSIDER story today showcased a morphing MADCAT aircraft wing. “From a first glance, it literally doesn’t look like anything that anyone’s ever seen before,” said MIT researcher Ben Jennet in our Here's an Idea episode. How about you? Will Morphing Wings Take Off?

Podcasts: Aerospace

A Morphing Airplane Wing Built by Tiny Robots

Ben Jennet is a PhD student at MIT and a former space research fellow at NASA. He is working with NASA to develop a new kind of aircraft wing that's flexible and changes mid-flight.

Briefs: Unmanned Systems

Carbon Nanotube/Polymer Composites with Electrical and Thermal Characteristics

These composites could improve how unmanned vehicles dissipate energy.

Articles: Manufacturing & Prototyping

Executive Roundtable: 3D Printing

Tech Briefs posed questions to 3D printing/AM industry execs, to get their views on issues like metal printing, new materials, and environmental sustainability.