Materials & Coatings

Making the Structure of ‘Fire Ice’ with Nanoparticles

Cage structures made with nanoparticles could be a step toward making organized nanostructures with mixed materials, and researchers at the University of Michigan have shown how to achieve this through computer simulations.

Ultrathin Solar Cells Aim to Improve Satellite Life

Most space satellites are powered by photovoltaic cells that convert sunlight to electricity. Exposure to certain orbit radiation can damage the devices. Scientists have proposed a radiation-tolerant photovoltaic cell design that features an ultrathin layer of light-absorbing material.

Dry Manufacturing Process for EV Batteries

Researchers continue to refine the process to improve electrochemical performance. The goal is to balance the benefits and drawbacks of the thicker electrode: It has the potential for higher energy loading and is easy to roll, but it may provide less power, since the ions have further to travel.

Developing Fast-Charging Lithium-Metal Batteries

Engineers have made progress toward lithium-metal batteries that charge as fast as an hour. This fast charging is thanks to lithium metal crystals that can be seeded and grown — quickly and uniformly — on a surprising surface.

Carbon Fiber Sleeve Tempers Battery Thermal Runaway

Innovators at NASA Johnson Space Center have developed a carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) sleeve, that, when fitted over a cylindrical Li-ion battery cell, can prevent cell-to-cell propagation by containing a thermal runaway (TR) event to the originating cell.

2023 Create the Future Design Contest: Manufacturing & Materials Finalist

Learn about the 2023 Create the Future Design Contest's Manufacturing & Materials Finalist: TenseFlatables, 3D-printed tensegrity-assisted inflatable structures.

2023 Create the Future Design Contest: Robotics & Automation Finalist

See the 2023 Create the Future Design Contest's Robotics & Automation Finalist: Patchflow, robotics for in-pipe leak repair.

2023 Create the Future Design Contest

The Create the Future Design Contest, launched in 2002 by SAE Media Group, recognizes and rewards engineering innovations that benefit humanity, the environment, and the economy. The annual contest draws product designs from engineers, students, and entrepreneurs worldwide.

Chalcogenide Materials: Revolutionizing Optical Performance in Response to Germanium Export Constraints

Chalcogenide materials have emerged as a disruptive force in the optics industry, significantly enhancing optical performance in response to germanium export constraints. Their exceptional optical properties, adaptability, and precision engineering capabilities position them as invaluable assets for top optical performance.

New Blue Light Technique Could Enable Advances in Understanding Nanoscale Technologies

With a new microscopy technique that uses blue light to measure electrons in semiconductors and other nanoscale materials, a team of researchers is opening a new realm of possibilities in the study of these critical components, which can help power devices like mobile phones and laptops.

Multicolored Light-Emitting Array on a Single Chip

A team of researchers demonstrated the first light-emitting array with 49 different colors on a single chip. This novel optoelectronic device is built on metal-oxide semiconductor capacitors.

Photonic Crystals Bend Light as Though It Were Under the Influence of Gravity

A collaborative group of researchers has manipulated the behavior of light as if it were under the influence of gravity. The findings, which were published in the...

DNA Nano-Engine

An international team of scientists has recently developed a novel type of nano-engine made of DNA. It is driven by a clever mechanism that can perform pulsing movements. The researchers are now planning to fit it with a...

New Wearable Sensor Makes Continuous Analysis of Sweat Possible

Continuous monitoring of sweat can reveal valuable information about human health, such as the body’s glucose levels. However, wearable sensors previously developed for this...

Researchers Wire Up Individual Graphene Nanoribbons

Researchers have developed a method of “wiring up” graphene nanoribbons (GNRs), a class of one-dimensional materials that are of interest in the scaling of microelectronic devices....

Analog and Digital: Best of Both Worlds in One Energy-Efficient System

We live in an analog world of continuous information flow that is both processed and stored by our brains at the same time, but our electronic devices process...

3D-Printed Living Material for Cleaning Contaminated Water

A new type of material developed at the University of California San Diego could offer a sustainable and eco-friendly solution to clean pollutants from water.

New Lightweight Energy-Dissipating Material for Industry

Professor Pablo Zavattieri and his team from Purdue University have developed an architected material that can dissipate energy caused by bending, compression, torque, and tensile stresses, avoiding permanent plastic deformation or damage.

New Hydrogel Uses Just Energy from Sunlight to Create Water

Researchers at University of Texas at Austin were able to pull water out of the atmosphere and make it drinkable using solar energy, in conditions as low as 104°.

New Tech Speeds Up Bacterial Testing in Food

A promising technology that could potentially revolutionize the process of testing bacterial viability in food.

Products of Tomorrow

See the products of tomorrow, including quantum rods, crack-resistant glass, and lunar landing pads.

Multi-Spectral Imaging Pyrometer

Innovators at NASA Langley Research Center have developed a multi-spectral imaging pyrometer utilizing tunable optics. The system uses a conventional infrared imaging camera as the basis.

Corkscrew Filter Extracts Liquid from Air Charge

Innovators at NASA Johnson Space Center in collaboration with IRPI, LLC, have developed a compact inline filter that uses a multi-phase flow method to separate liquid from an incoming air charge. The filter also traps particulate matter and does so without significantly impinging upon flow velocity.

Turning Carbon Emissions into Rocks

In Penn’s Clean Energy Conversions Lab, researchers are repurposing waste from industrial mines, storing carbon pulled from the atmosphere into newly formed rock. The team sees great environmental potential in mine tailings.

A Vertical Electrochemical Transistor to Revolutionize Bioelectronics

A Northwestern University research team has developed a revolutionary transistor that is expected be ideal for lightweight, flexible, high-performance bioelectronics. The electrochemical transistor is compatible with blood and water and can amplify important signals.

Silicon Nose: Small Sensor ‘Smells’ Incipient Seizures

In people with epilepsy, seizure-alert dogs can smell small changes in body chemistry and warn of an impending seizure an hour or more before it occurs. Inspired by this feat of nature, a team of researchers has developed a way to replicate that ability with technology.

A New Method to Measure the Motion of Soft Robots

Prompted by conversations regarding soft robotics, a research group has developed a design for a new sensor using 3D electrodes inspired by the folding patterns used in origami, able to measure a strain range of up to three times higher than a typical sensor.