Mechanical Engineering

In a beaker with a constant stream of bubbles, inserting a piece of the new textured material developed by the MIT team (gray object extending into the surface at top) causes the foam buildup at the top of the beaker to dissipate almost completely within ten minutes.

Bubble-capturing surface helps get rid of foam

Bubbly buildup can hinder many industrial processes, but a new method can reduce or even eliminate it.

February 11, 2020

Tests on an MIT building rooftop showed that a simple proof-of-concept desalination device could produce clean, drinkable water at a rate equivalent to more than 1.5 gallons per hour for each square meter of solar collecting area.

Simple, solar-powered water desalination

System achieves new level of efficiency in harnessing sunlight to make fresh potable water from seawater.

February 6, 2020

Perovskites, a family of materials defined by a particular kind of molecular structure as illustrated here, have great potential for new kinds of solar cells. A new study from MIT shows how these materials could gain a foothold in the solar marketplace.

Researchers develop a roadmap for growth of new solar cells

Starting with higher-value niche markets and then expanding could help perovskite-based solar panels become competitive with silicon.

February 6, 2020

With a new technique, MIT researchers can peel and stack thin films of metal oxides — chemical compounds that can be designed to have unique magnetic and electronic properties. The films can be mixed and matched to create multi-functional, flexible electronic devices, such as solar-powered skins and electronic fabrics.

Engineers mix and match materials to make new stretchy electronics

Next-generation devices made with new “peel and stack” method may include electronic chips worn on the skin.

February 5, 2020

A preserved heart muscle (1) is removed and replaced with a soft synthetic matrix (2). The two structures (inner cardiac tissue and synthetic matrix) (3) are bonded using a newly developed adhesive, TissueSil (4). The resulting piece is the biohybrid heart containing the preserved intracardiac structures and synthetic heart muscle (5).

Engineers design bionic “heart” for testing prosthetic valves, other cardiac devices

Device made of heart tissue and a robotic pumping system beats like the real thing.

January 29, 2020

MathWorks fellows with Anantha Chandrakasan (back row, center), dean of the MIT School of Engineering. Not pictured: Fellows Pasquale Antonante, Alireza Fallah, and Kate Reidy.

Accelerating the pace of engineering

The 2019-20 School of Engineering MathWorks Fellows are using MATLAB and Simulink to advance discovery and innovation across disciplines.

January 28, 2020

Currently, 90 percent of the world’s solar panels are made from crystalline silicon, and the industry continues to grow at a rate of about 30 percent per year.

For cheaper solar cells, thinner really is better

Solar panel costs have dropped lately, but slimming down silicon wafers could lead to even lower costs and faster industry expansion.

January 26, 2020

This sensor can measure blood glucose levels noninvasively by shining near-infrared light through the skin and measuring the chemical composition of the tissue below.

Researchers hope to make needle pricks for diabetics a thing of the past

Study suggests noninvasive spectroscopy could be used to monitor blood glucose levels.

January 24, 2020

“My goal is to find out how to make the combustion process more efficient, reliable, safe, and clean,” says Sili Deng, assistant professor of mechanical engineering at MIT.

Understanding combustion

Assistant Professor Sili Deng is on a quest to understand the chemistry involved in combustion and develop strategies to make it cleaner.

January 23, 2020

Left to right: MARC committee members and MIT graduate students Navid Abedzadeh, Mayuran Saravanapavanantham, Haozhe Wang, Elaine McVay, Qingyun Xie, Jatin Patil, Jessica Boles, Rachel Yang, and Rishabh Mittal.

MIT graduate students lead conference on microsystems and nanotechnology

Student committee puts together research showcase while balancing coursework, qualifying exams, and extracurriculars.

January 22, 2020

Julie Newman, director of sustainability at MIT, says the final project for course 2.S999 “uses the campus as a test bed for engaging and exposing students to the complexity of solving [for] global issues in their own backyard.”

Students propose plans for a carbon-neutral campus

Students in class 2.S999 (Solving for Carbon Neutrality at MIT) are charged with developing plans to make MIT’s campus carbon neutral by 2060.

January 17, 2020

Nick Demas PhD '19 (left) and Jerry Wang PhD '19 stand outside Edgerton House with a larger-than-life note of encouragement.

Stick with me

A campaign to spread notes of kindness is coming to MIT, inspired by alumni Nick Demas and Jerry Wang.

January 16, 2020

A smart window developed by Professor Nicholas Fang includes thermochromic material that turns frosty when exposed to temperatures of 32 C or higher, such as when a researcher touches the window with her hand.

Preventing energy loss in windows

Mechanical engineers are developing technologies that could prevent heat from entering or escaping windows, potentially preventing a massive loss of energy.

January 6, 2020

Professor Emeritus Ali Argon, Quentin Berg Emeritus Professor of Mechanical Engineering (1930-2019)

Professor Emeritus Ali Argon, pioneer in the mechanics of materials, dies at 89

Longtime MIT professor was a world leader in inelastic deformation and fracture of engineering materials.

January 3, 2020

With the help of color-changing fibers, MIT researchers develop a mathematical model to predict a knot’s stability.

How strong is your knot?

With help from spaghetti and color-changing fibers, a new mathematical model predicts a knot’s stability.

January 2, 2020

MIT News | Massachusetts Institute of Technology

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