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

Special Reports: Manned Systems

Test & Measurement - February 2022

From space vehicles to the modern battlefield to the human body, test innovations are improving device and system reliability while speeding time to market. Read about the latest advances – including the...

Briefs: Materials

Tires Turned into Graphene Make Stronger Concrete

An optimized flash process could reduce carbon emissions.

Briefs: Green Design & Manufacturing

Cleaner Water Through Corn

Activated carbon made from corn stover filters 98 percent of a pollutant from water.

Briefs: Energy

Polymer-Based Battery Enables Fast Charging and Low Operating Temperatures

The battery charges faster than a lithium-ion battery and is fire-safe and eco-friendly.

Briefs: Photonics/Optics

Optical Coating Exhibits the Same Color in Reflection and Transmission

Fano Resonance Optical Coatings can both transmit and reflect the same color simultaneously.

Briefs: Electronics & Computers

Dyeing Process Gives Textiles Electronic Properties

Textiles and items of clothing can be converted into e-textiles without affecting their original properties.

Briefs: Materials

Healable Carbon Fiber Composite

The carbon fiber reinforced material can be repeatedly healed with heat.

Briefs: Materials

Load-Bearing Material Mimics Human Cartilage

The synthetic material is soft but can withstand heavy loading with minimum wear and tear for engineering applications.

Briefs: Materials

Bio-Inspired, Blood-Repelling Glue Seals Wounds Quickly

Inspired by barnacles, the paste provides an effective way to treat traumatic injuries and help control bleeding during surgery.

Briefs: Photonics/Optics

New Class of Nickel-Based Superalloys Withstands Extreme Heat

Parts remain crack-free and defect-resistant, making them conducive for use in metal-based 3D-printing applications.

Briefs: Manufacturing & Prototyping

3D-Printed Objects Sense How a User is Interacting with Them

Sensing is incorporated directly into an object’s material, with applications for assistive technology and “intelligent” furniture.

Briefs: Materials

3D Printing of Polymers

A 3D-printable elastomer yields soft, elastic objects that feel like human tissue.

Briefs: Energy

Fabrication Method for Large-Scale Production of Perovskite Solar Cells

The sulfolane-additive process yields easy fabrication, low cost, and long operating life.

Briefs: Manufacturing & Prototyping

Fabricating Superconducting Circuitry on Both Sides of an Ultrathin Silicon Layer

A new fabrication methodology addresses the need for a thin, double-sided circuitry board.

Q&A: Semiconductors & ICs

Q&A: A Unique Material Transmits Heat in One Direction and Blocks it in Another

Professor Jiwoong Park and his team have made a material that is crystalline in the X-Y direction, but amorphous in the Z direction.

Briefs: Photonics/Optics

Micro-Robots Propelled by Air Bubbles and Ultrasound

A remotely controlled microswimmer could navigate the human body and aid in drug delivery.

Briefs: Mechanical & Fluid Systems

Soft, Mechanical Metamaterials

These “living machines” hold potential for applications from medical treatments to improving the environment.

Briefs: Energy

Material Derived from Trees Could Replace Liquid Electrolytes

The material could pave the way for better, safer solid-state batteries.

Briefs: Electronics & Computers

Fast-Charging, Long-Running, Bendable Supercapacitor

This technology has potential as a portable power supply in several applications, including electric vehicles, cellphones, and wearable technology.

INSIDER: Research Lab

Ultrathin Solar Cells Get a Boost

Using ultrabright X-rays from the Advanced Photon Source at Argonne National Laboratory, a team of researchers led by Rice University has determined that sunlight itself can improve the efficiency of 2D...