Materials & Coatings

Materials

Learn the latest developments and technical resources for next-generation materials technologies. Learn more about the applications in aerospace, medical, military, and 3D printing.

Stories

Articles: Energy

Developing a Better Way to Recycle Lithium-Ion Batteries

Decarbonizing transportation is key for meeting U.S. greenhouse gas reduction targets because moving people and goods is the largest direct source of climate-altering emissions....

Application Briefs: Automotive

Using Silver Sintering in Traction Inverter Assembly

Traction inverter power density (KW/L) and efficiency ($/KW) strongly impact electric vehicle (EV) weight, driving range, and cost of ownership. Unfortunately, traditional soldered power...

Briefs: Energy

New Material Offers Promise for Solid-State Batteries

Researchers from the University of Waterloo, Canada, who are members of the Joint Center for Energy Storage Research (JCESR), headquartered at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Argonne...

Briefs: Energy

Micro-Supercapacitors Enable Fast Charging

Micro-supercapacitors could revolutionize the way we use batteries by increasing their lifespan and enabling extremely fast charging. Now, researchers at Chalmers University of Technology have...

Articles: Power

Manufacturing Advances in Solid-State Batteries

Battery engineers targeting electric vehicles (EVs) continue to research designs with solid-state electrolyte because of the alluring twin promises of significantly higher energy densities...

INSIDER: Manufacturing & Prototyping

Molecular Robots Work Cooperatively in Swarms

In a global first, scientists have demonstrated that molecular robots are able to accomplish cargo delivery by employing a strategy of swarming, achieving a transport efficiency five times...

INSIDER: Physical Sciences

Microdrones With Light-Driven Nanomotors

Physicists at the University of Würzburg have propelled micrometer-sized drones significantly smaller than red blood cells, exerting precise control, using only light.

Question of the Week: Wearables

Would You Wear a Microgrid?

Our April issue of Tech Briefs highlighted a wearable microgrid that powers electronics by harvesting energy from the wearer’s body. The wearable (shown here) has three components: sweat-powered biofuel cells, motion-powered devices called triboelectric generators, and energy-storing supercapacitors. All parts are...

Briefs: Photonics/Optics

Nanoscale 3D Structure to Control Light

3D nanometer-scale metamaterial structures hold promise for advanced optical isolators.

Blog: Automotive

Why Hasn’t 3D Printing Caught On in Automotive?

More “talking across industries” can drive growth in additive manufacturing, says an industry expert.

Videos: Manufacturing & Prototyping

5 High-Tech Materials That Sense and Detect

A variety of electronics and sensors are being integrated into today’s materials to spot a variety of parameters: from damage to a product design to stress on your heart.

Blog: Packaging & Sterilization

An Insect-Inspired Approach to Anti-Bacterial Surfaces Takes Wing

Tiny manufactured nanopillars slice and dice bacteria, cicada-style.

INSIDER: Semiconductors & ICs

Perovskite High-Performance Transistors Can Be Printed

A Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH) research team has improved the performance of a p-type semiconductor transistor using inorganic metal halide perovskite. One of...

5 Ws: Sensors/Data Acquisition

5 Ws of Floating Sensors

Wireless sensors inspired by Dandelions could be used to monitor climate change.

INSIDER: Medical

Piezoelectric Polymers

A Penn State-led team of interdisciplinary researchers have developed a polymer with robust piezoelectric effectiveness, resulting in 60% more efficient electricity generation than previous iterations.

Question of the Week: Materials

Is the Future of Computing in Fabrics?

Fabric-based computing is the future, according to a researcher at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Special Reports: Design

Medical Robotics - April 2022

Novel biosensors set to revolutionize brain-controlled robotics...micro-robots propelled by air bubbles...a smart artificial hand...major advances in exoskeleton technology. These are just a few of the medical...

Articles: Manufacturing & Prototyping

Products of Tomorrow

Self-healing materials, quick disconnects, and eco-friendly micro-supercapacitors.

Briefs: Software

Tool Calculates Materials’ Stress and Strain Based on Photos

The advance could accelerate engineers’ design process by eliminating the need to solve complex equations.

Briefs: Energy

Implantable Stimulator Speeds Tendon Healing

The device combines with body power to treat tendon disease and damage, and sports injuries.

Briefs: Sensors/Data Acquisition

Material Detects COVID-19 Quickly and Accurately

Potential applications for a graphene atomic-level sensor include detecting COVID, ALS, and cancer.

Briefs: Materials

Injectable, Flexible Electrode Could Replace Rigid Nerve-Stimulating Implants

By electrically stimulating nerves, this therapy can reduce epileptic seizures and soothe chronic pain without the use of conventional drugs like opioids.