Chemical Engineering

MIT engineers have developed a way to encapsulate nutrients in a biocompatible polymer, making it easier to use them to fortify foods.

Microparticles could help fight malnutrition

New strategy for encapsulating nutrients makes it easier to fortify foods with iron and vitamin A.

November 13, 2019

Schematic illustration of probe adsorption influenced by an attractive interaction within the corona

SMART discovers nondisruptive way to characterize the surface of nanoparticles

New method overcomes limitations of existing chemical procedures and may accelerate nanoengineering of materials.

November 12, 2019

MIT engineers created clusters of nanoparticles that are coated with “right-handed” molecules of the amino acid cysteine.

Nanoparticle orientation offers a way to enhance drug delivery

Coating particles with “right-handed” molecules could help them penetrate cancer cells more easily.

November 5, 2019

In this diagram of the new system, air entering from top right passes to one of two chambers (the gray rectangular structures) containing battery electrodes that attract the carbon dioxide. Then the airflow is switched to the other chamber, while the accumulated carbon dioxide in the first chamber is flushed into a separate storage tank (at right). These alternating flows allow for continuous oper...

MIT engineers develop a new way to remove carbon dioxide from air

The process could work on the gas at any concentrations, from power plant emissions to open air.

October 24, 2019

In a new method to produce hydrogen peroxide portably, an electrolyzer (left) splits water into hydrogen and oxygen. The hydrogen atoms initially form in an electrolyte material (green), which transfers them to a mediator material (red), which then carries them to a separate unit where the mediator comes in contact with oxygen-rich water (blue), where the hydrogen combines with it to form hydrogen...

New process could make hydrogen peroxide available in remote places

MIT-developed method may lead to portable devices for making the disinfectant on-site where it’s needed.

October 23, 2019

A white-stained cluster of amyloid plaque proteins, a hallmark of Alzheimer's disease pathology, is evident in the mammillary body of a 2-month-old Alzheimer's model mouse. A new study finds that plaques begin in such deep regions and spread throughout the brain along specific circuits.

Alzheimer’s plaque emerges early and deep in the brain

Clumps of amyloid protein emerge early in deep regions, such as the mammillary body, and march outward in the brain along specific circuits.

October 8, 2019

X-ray images at top left show the drug-delivery capsule in the intestine, before and after the arms expand. At right, the arms are unfolded to reveal the microneedles.

New capsule can orally deliver drugs that usually have to be injected

Coated pill carries microneedles that deliver insulin and other drugs to the lining of the small intestine.

October 7, 2019

Left to right: MIT professors Gabriella Carolini, Paula Hammond, and David Trumper

Strong mentorship through great decision-making

Gabriella Carolini, Paula Hammond, and David Trumper honored as Committed to Caring graduate student mentors.

October 3, 2019

Graduate student Sidhant Pai repairs low-cost air quality sensors near Connaught Place in Central Delhi.

Tracing the origins of air pollutants in India

MIT researchers employ low-cost sensors to detect and track the origins of air pollutants in India.

September 30, 2019

MIT chemical engineers have developed a new series of lipid nanoparticles to deliver RNA vaccines.

Delivery system can make RNA vaccines more powerful

Vaccines packaged in novel nanoparticles could offer a new way to fight cancer and infectious diseases.

September 30, 2019

MIT researchers have designed low-cost, photovoltaic-powered sensors on RFID tags that work in sunlight and dimmer indoor lighting, and can transmit data for years before needing replacement.

Photovoltaic-powered sensors for the “internet of things”

RFID-based devices work in indoor and outdoor lighting conditions, and communicate at greater distances.

September 27, 2019

Chemical engineering graduate student Justin Swaney is applying machine learning to music production. “There’s a lot of manual searching to get the right musical result, which can be distracting and time-consuming,” says the co-creator of a new tool to help producers find just the perfect sound.

Machine learning you can dance to

MIT grad student startup Samply uses algorithms to help music producers find the perfect sound.

September 18, 2019

In BigSMILES, polymeric fragments are represented by a list of repeating units enclosed by curly brackets. The chemical structures of the repeating units are encoded using normal SMILES syntax, but with additional bonding descriptors that specify how different repeating units are connected to form polymers. This simple design of syntax would enable the encoding of macromolecules over a wide range ...

Notation system allows scientists to communicate polymers more easily

BigSMILES language allows computers and researchers to convey stochastic configurations more clearly.

September 18, 2019

Left: A water sample undergoing testing using the J-WAFS-funded water quality test kit soon to be deployed throughout Nepal. Right: Citrus trees infected with citrus greening disease are highly contagious and can wipe out whole orange groves. A J-WAFS-funded sensor could help farmers detect the disease much earlier.

J-WAFS announces 2019 Solutions Grants supporting agriculture and clean water

Projects address access to clean water in Nepal via wearable E. coli test kits, improving the resilience of commercial citrus groves, and more.

September 17, 2019

Solugen's proprietary process for producing hydrogen peroxide uses modified enzymes and inexpensive compounds like sugar. It is currently being used in two pilot facilities that create more than 10 tons of the chemical every day.

Cleaning up hydrogen peroxide production

Solugen’s engineered enzymes offer a biologically-inspired method for producing the chemical.

September 5, 2019

MIT News | Massachusetts Institute of Technology

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