Materials

Renewable energy sources like wind and solar are critical to sustaining our planet, but they come with a big challenge: they don't always generate power when it's needed. To make the most of them, we need efficient and affordable ways to…

A Chalmers University of Technology research team created a battery from a carbon fiber composite with aluminum stiffness characteristics and sufficient energy density for commercial use. They followed the basic concept of building with a…

Porous covalent organic frameworks (COFs) are a class of highly ordered materials composed of organic molecules linked by covalent bonds to create a network allowing for the precise construction of functional materials. Like metal organic…

Copper is typically more pliable than steel. However, MIT researchers discovered that when metal is struck by an object moving at a super high velocity, the opposite occurs: the hotter the metal, the stronger it becomes, and copper can be…

Graphene’s unique properties include ultra-high electrical conductivity and tensile strength. The downside is that it’s dirty. Researchers at Columbia University, the University of Montreal, and NIST are cleaning up graphene using an…

Boston Metal, an MIT spinout, is ready to commercialize a new steelmaking method that can potentially clean up steel’s dirty processes. Typically, making steel involves mining iron ore, reducing it in a blast furnace with the addition of…

A few years ago I stood on an amazingly picturesque hill in Costa Rica overlooking Lake Arenal. I closed my eyes, taking in the warmth of the sun. Suddenly, I felt a sharp pain. I looked down to see a virtual onslaught of red fire ants…

The Quantum Economic Development Consortium (QED-C) recently hosted a groundbreaking event: the first-ever Quantum Technology Showcase on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. This event was a pivotal moment for the quantum industry as 22 QED-C…

EVs and lithium batteries are getting a lot of attention lately, with big names like Google, Apple, and Hertz making news. While lithium metal batteries (LMBs) could provide a range of up to 700 miles for EVs, their capabilities are…

Substrate materials play an essential role in information processing. Using advanced imaging, a research team led by Penn State found that substrate material (also known as wafers) responds to changes in electricity, like the semiconductor…