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

Blog: Materials

Sweat-Activated Vents Open Up New Ideas for Clothing

Duke scientists have created a fabric that releases heat once you start sweating.

Briefs: Sensors/Data Acquisition

Graphene-Based Device for Ultrasensitive Biosensors

The device provides the first step toward ultrasensitive biosensors to detect diseases at the molecular level with near-perfect efficiency.

Briefs: Manufacturing & Prototyping

Smart Laser Cutter System Detects Different Materials

SensiCut, a smart material-sensing platform for laser cutters, can differentiate among 30 materials commonly found in makerspaces.

Briefs: Mechanical & Fluid Systems

Small and Dexterous Cockroach-Inspired Robot

This robot can run, jump, carry heavy payloads, and turn on a dime.

Briefs: AR/AI

Programmable Digital Fiber

The fiber contains memory, temperature sensors, and a trained neural network program for inferring physical activity.

Briefs: Robotics, Automation & Control

Soft Components for Soft Robotics

An electrically driven soft valve paves the way for fully soft robots.

Briefs: Manufacturing & Prototyping

Anticorrosion Compound Protects Steel from the Elements

The flexible, self-healing coating protects buildings, bridges, and anything above or below the water made of steel.

Briefs: Materials

Swimming Living Robots Can Self-Train

Biobots based on muscle cells can swim at unprecedented velocities.

Briefs: Manufacturing & Prototyping

4D Bioengineering Materials Bend and Curve Like Natural Tissue

The hydrogels can morph multiple times in a preprogrammed or on-demand manner in response to external trigger signals.

Briefs: Sensors/Data Acquisition

Tiny Quantum Sensors See Materials Transform Under Pressure

Diamonds’ atomic flaws are converted into atomic sensors that watch a quantum world of materials under extreme pressure.

Briefs: Robotics, Automation & Control

Calibration System for Automated Fiber Placement

The system creates accurate defect standards for in-situ inspection systems.

Briefs: Energy

Implantable Stimulator Speeds Tendon Healing

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

UpFront: Sensors/Data Acquisition

UpFront: January 2022 Tech Briefs

Private stations get NASA funding; a camera "sees the unseen," and more.

Articles: Manned Systems

Products of Tomorrow

Breath-regulating garments, humidity sensors, thin-film antennas, and more.

Facility Focus: RF & Microwave Electronics

Facility Focus: North Carolina State University

Learn about the technologies being developed at NC State, including vehicle armor, a monitoring patch for plants, and origami-inspired materials.

Briefs: Robotics, Automation & Control

Wearable Exosuit Lessens Back Muscle Fatigue

The suit can be controlled with a double tap to the chest or via an app.

Q&A: Materials

Q&A: Ultra-Fast Manufacturing of Wearable Sensors

An "E-Skin" material can be printed without polymer binders.

Products: Manufacturing & Prototyping

New on the Market: January 2022

Microwave measurement receivers, oscilloscopes, longwave infrared cameras, and more.

Briefs: Electronics & Computers

Self-Healing, Highly Adhesive Elastomers

These elastomers have a wide range of uses for the building, automotive, and electronics industries.

Products: Photonics/Optics

New Products

Fiber laser machinery, polishing pitch, beam collimators, and more.

Briefs: Photonics/Optics

Metasurfaces Control Polarized Light at Will

Researchers from SEAS have found "hidden potential" in metasurfaces.

Application Briefs: Imaging

High-Speed Inspection and Reverse Engineering in 2D and 3D

The Opti-Scan inspection system can measure surfaces and edges in 3D.

INSIDER: Semiconductors & ICs

Layers of Crystalline Nanosheets Enable Tunable Electronic Properties

Boron is a versatile non-metal element, but until the last five years, chemists have only theorized about the useful properties and applications of two-dimensional (2D)...

INSIDER: Sensors/Data Acquisition

Paving the Way for UV-Enabled Flexible Wearable Tech

To enable the development of wearable devices that possess advanced ultraviolet (UV) detection functions, scientists from NTU Singapore have created a new type of light sensor that is...