Materials & Manufacturing

Materials & Coatings

Access the technical resources for a range of materials and coatings. Design engineers can browse news, technical briefs, and applications for plastics, composites, rubbers, elastomers, and metals.

Stories

Q&A: Wearables

Q&A: Electrically Conductive Coated Yarn for Wearable, Washable Fabrics

Drexel Professor Genevieve Dion is coating yarn with the highly conductive, two-dimensional material MXene.

Briefs: Materials

3D-Printed Structures Morph from Flat Layers into Predetermined Shapes

The flat structure morphs into another shape when temperature changes, enabling self-deploying tents or adaptive robotic fins.

Briefs: Electronics & Computers

Thermally Conductive Polymer Films

These materials may replace metals as lightweight, flexible heat dissipators in cars, computers, cellphones, and refrigerators.

Briefs: Photonics/Optics

Multimaterial Fiber “Ink” for 3D-Printed Devices

Filaments with embedded circuitry can be used to print complex shapes for biomedical and robotic devices.

Briefs: Electronics & Computers

Enhancing Materials for High-Resolution Patterning

Hybrid organic-inorganic materials transfer ultra-small, high-aspect-ratio features into silicon for next-generation electronic devices.

Briefs: Sensors/Data Acquisition

3D Printing of Plastics with Electrical Circuits

This innovation could lead to better drones, satellites, and biomedical devices.

Briefs: Materials

Polymer Coating Cools Down Buildings

This coating acts as a spontaneous air cooler and can be fabricated, dyed, and applied like paint.

Briefs: Materials

Silicon Carbide Fiber Tows

This rapid processing method produces stronger materials and heals lower-quality fibers.

Facility Focus: Aerospace

Facility Focus: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center

Explore Goddard Space Flight Center, NASA's first space flight complex.

Briefs: Sensors/Data Acquisition

Bomb Detection Method Detects Peroxide-Based Explosives

The ultra-fast method analyzes a wider range of materials than current thermal-based detection systems.

Briefs: Nanotechnology

Process Synthesizes Carbon Nanotubes Using Carbon Dioxide

This process turns carbon dioxide into carbon nanotubes with small diameters.

Briefs: Electronics & Computers

Transistors Both Process and Store Information

The functional transistors are integrated with ferroelectric RAM.

Briefs: Materials

3D Printing Technique Produces “Living” 4D Materials

3D/4D printing is merged with a chemical process to produce “living” resin, which has potential for recycling and biomedicine.

Blog: Manufacturing & Prototyping

A Soft Robot That Can Maintain Its Temperature? No Sweat!

Cornell researcher T.J. Wallin explains what's so cool about a robot that sweats.

Question of the Week: Green Design & Manufacturing

Do you Like the Idea of Fungi-Inspired Design?

Our lead INSIDER story today demonstrated the potential of fungi as a building material. Aside from supporting theoretical space habitats, fungal mycelia have been used to create actual chairs and 2x4 structures. What do you think? Do you Like the Idea of Fungi-Inspired Design?

Blog: Green Design & Manufacturing

The Next Building Material for Mars: Fungi?

When astronauts arrive on the Moon, their habitat may be one made out of fungi.

Blog: Materials

New Coating 'Confuses' Infrared Cameras by Hiding Temperature Changes

"View it as an infrared privacy shield," says Professor Mikhail Kats.

Blog: Materials

3D Printing and Space Exploration: How NASA Will Use Additive Manufacturing

NASA is using the International Space Station as a testbed for 3D printing.

Blog: Materials

A 'DEAnsect' Robot Takes 10 Hits from a Fly Swatter – And Survives

A fun way to show the robustness of a soft robot? Swat it.

Blog: Manufacturing & Prototyping

Answering Your Questions: How to Confirm Metal 3D Printing Accuracy and Quality

As additive manufacturing supports the creation of critical metal parts, designers need to know that the parts are high-quality.

Briefs: Test & Measurement

Magneto-Optic Biosensor Using Bio-Functionalized Magnetic Nanoparticles

This technology is a novel, rugged, and economic diagnostic and sensor platform technology.

Articles: Manufacturing & Prototyping

Five Techniques for Lightweighting: Doing More With Less

Manufacturers in almost every industry are looking to design lighter parts. Here are five lightweighting strategies.

Briefs: Mechanical & Fluid Systems

Process Turns Sand and Plant Materials into a Water Filtration Tool

According to the United Nations, 2.1 billion people lack access to safely managed drinking water services and the majority live in developing nations. A process was developed...