Materials

5 Ws of the Screen-Printed Battery

The battery can be used in flexible, stretchable electronics for wearables as well as soft robotics.

A Near-Perfect Blackbody Calibration Target

This rapid and cost-effective technique yields a uniform etched surface with 99.5 percent emissivity.

Niobium Titanium Nitride Thin Film Coating

Applications include terahertz medical imaging and communications.

4D Printing of Morphing Structures

A new method manufactures complex shapeshifters for soft robots and biomedical implants.

Ultra-Thin, Battery-Free Strain Sensors for Industrial Robotic Arms

These nanomaterial strain sensors are ten times more sensitive when measuring minute movements compared to existing technology.

Manufacturing Ultra-Thin Camera Lenses

Ultra-thin and flexible metalenses could replace traditional camera lenses.

Technology Remedies 3D Printing’s “Weak Spot”

The technology welds adjacent 3D-printed layers more effectively, thereby increasing the reliability of the final part.

New Materials Boost Efficiency and Stability of Optical Rectennas

The improved rectennas could operate low-power devices such as temperature sensors.

Printable Chemical Nanosensor

This integrated nanosensor is printed on a daughter board using 3D printing techniques.

Flexible Material Helps Buildings Withstand Energy Waves

The material could help protect both civilian and military personnel in earthquakes.

Metamaterial Morphs into New Shapes and Takes on New Properties

A newly developed architected metamaterial has the ability to change shape in a tunable fashion.

Damage Simulation Tool for Composite Laminates

This tool provides faster and more detailed composite damage simulation results.

3D Printing with Wood-Based Ink

By emulating the natural cellular architecture of wood, green products such as clothes, packaging, and furniture can be manufactured with unique properties.

Flexible, Thin-Film Battery

Computers or smartphones with folding screens, smart clothing, and wearable sensors all require an energy source, which is usually a lithium-ion battery. These are typically heavy and rigid, making them fundamentally...

Design Enables Safe Storage of Lithium Ions

This technology charges lithium batteries faster and reduces the risk of device explosions.

Method Tracks What Happens Inside Batteries

The method could be key to designing more efficient batteries for specific uses such as electric cars and airplanes.

Stretchable Micro-Supercapacitors Self-Power Wearable Devices

A stretchable system can harvest energy from human breathing and motion.

How Smashing Nanoparticles Together Led to Super-Strength Metal 'Coins'

The hard “coin,” could be used to make super-strength metal coatings or larger industrial components.

A Recycling Breakthrough: Researchers Discover a Molecule That 'Zips Up'

The "polymer of squares” could one day enable the use of plastic products many times over.

A Squid-Like 'Muscle' Senses Light and Changes Shape

Inspired by the squid's color-changing chromatophore, Rutgers engineers set out to create an artificial one.

RepelWrap

Learn how RepelWrap began, and how the material can fend off drug-resistant bacteria, from MRSA to coronaviruses.

Inexpensive Method Decontaminates Personal Protective Equipment

The system uses off-the-shelf materials combined with ultraviolet lights to decontaminate N95 masks.

New Method Makes Computer Memory from Titanium Oxide

The material, commonly found in house paint, can be used in a device to more efficiently process information.

Q&A: 3D-Printed Polymer Lattice Strengthens Concrete

Brian Salazar and his UC Berkeley team have developed a new way to reinforce concrete with a polymer lattice, an advance that could rival other polymer-based enhancements and improve...

Energy-Harvesting Device Turns Wi-Fi Signals into Usable Power

This device for harnessing terahertz radiation might enable self-powering implants, cellphones, and other portable electronics.

Advanced Solar Panels Extract More Energy from Sunlight

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign researchers working to maximize solar panel efficiency said layering advanced materials atop traditional silicon is a promising path to eke more...

New Technique Extends Next-Generation Lithium Metal Batteries

Electric vehicles (EVs) hold great promise for our energy-efficient, sustainable future but among their limitations is the lack of a long-lasting, high energy density battery...