Liquid-solid interactions, as never before seen
New technique improves researchers’ ability to measure a key property of material surfaces.
Viruses harnessed to split water
MIT team’s biologically based system taps the power of sunlight directly, with the aim of turning water into hydrogen fuel.
Slideshow: Solar power, shaped up
3-D shapes covered in solar cells could produce more power than flat panels, MIT researchers find.
A step toward lighter batteries
Research shows metal catalysts play important role in improving the efficiency of lithium-oxygen batteries
A manufacturing renaissance for America?
At an MIT forum, experts examine new ways to pursue a good old idea: making things.
Taming the wild phonon
‘Particles’ of heat are everywhere, and usually a nuisance, but newly designed materials could help put them to good use.
Self-assembling computer chips
Molecules that arrange themselves into predictable patterns on silicon chips could lead to microprocessors with much smaller circuit elements.
Unraveling silks’ secrets
A new analysis of the structure of silks explains the paradox at the heart of their super-strength, and may lead to even stronger synthetic materials.
Transforming the Infinite Corridor
The Laboratory for Advanced Materials puts materials science and engineering research on display.
Insulators made into conductors
MIT team coaxes polymers to line up, transforming them into materials that could dissipate heat.
Big power from tiny wires
New discovery shows carbon nanotubes can produce powerful waves that could be harnessed for new energy systems.
A new way to build membranes for fuel cells
Layer-by-layer assembly system could lead to improved fuel cells, batteries and solar panels
First germanium laser
New results from MIT’s Electronic Materials Research Group bring us closer to computers that use light instead of electricity to move data.
CRTs going down the tubes? Hardly
Surprisingly, old-style television sets and computer screens are still in demand — to make new TV sets
Iron-plated snail could inspire new armor
Analysis of unique deep-sea mollusk offers insights into design of armor for soldiers and vehicles.