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Materials Science and Engineering

The experimental setup used to study the behavior of spider dragline silk. The cylindrical chamber at center allowed for precise control of humidity while testing the contraction and twisting of the fiber.

Spider silk could be used as robotic muscle

Unusual property of the ultrastrong material could be harnessed for twisting or pulling motions.

March 1, 2019

Photo of MIT Building 10 lit up at night

QS World University Rankings rates MIT No. 1 in 11 subjects for 2019

Institute ranks within the top 2 in 17 of 48 subject areas.

February 26, 2019

Angela Belcher, the James Mason Crafts Professor of Biological Engineering and Materials Science and Engineering at MIT, has been named the new head of the Department of Biological Engineering, effective July 1, 2019.

Angela Belcher named head of the Department of Biological Engineering

Biomedical engineering and energy expert to succeed Doug Lauffenburger; with her appointment, half of MIT engineering departments will be headed by women.

February 25, 2019

Scanning Transmission Electron Microscope image (STEM) of single perovskite quantum dots. New study shows that single perovskite quantum dots could be a fundamental building block for quantum-photonic technologies for computing or communications.

Quantum dots can spit out clone-like photons

System that generates coherent single particles of light could help pave the way for quantum information processors or communications.

February 21, 2019

Students participating in the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program include: (clockwise from top left) Veronica Boyce, Nicholas Bonaker, Alexandra Dima, Neeraj Prasad, Elizabeth Weeks, and Alexander Denmark.

Exploring the nature of intelligence

Undergraduate research projects show how students are advancing research in human and artificial intelligence, and applying intelligence tools to other disciplines.

February 21, 2019

MIT Professor Lionel Kimerling, speaking at Stonehill College, leads the AIM Academy program for AIM Photonics.

Training technicians in developing technologies

MIT leads AIM Photonics Academy’s development of a technician-training apprenticeship program.

February 15, 2019

For tropical growing regions in Brazil and some countries in Africa, differing soil and rock compositions make for a poor match for the fertilizers that are currently on the market. J-WAFS-funded MIT researchers seek to meet this challenge with a new type of fertilizer, and call for more interdisciplinary research to help close yield gaps.

Local rocks can yield more crops

J-WAFS-funded MIT research team shows a new method of fertilizer production can better suit the needs of farms in Africa and around the globe.

February 12, 2019

Six MIT researchers are among the 86 new members and 18 foreign associates elected to the National Academy of Engineering.

Six MIT researchers elected to the National Academy of Engineering for 2019

Members have made advances in molecular processes, rheology, computer networking, nanocrystalline metals, affective computing, and semiconductor tech.

February 11, 2019

Introducing a small amount of strain into crystalline materials, such as diamond or silicon, can produce significant changes in their properties, researchers have found. The mechanical strain is represented here as a deformation in the diamond's shape.

Using artificial intelligence to engineer materials’ properties

New system of “strain engineering” can change a material’s optical, electrical, and thermal properties.

February 11, 2019

The 2018 Bose Research Fellows (standing) pose for a photo with (seated, l-r) President L. Rafael Reif, Judy Bose, and Provost Martin Schmidt.

Bose grants for 2018 fund research at the frontier of discovery

The prestigious awards are supporting five innovative projects that challenge established norms and have the potential to be world-changing.

February 11, 2019

Solar cells made of perovskite have great promise, in part because they can easily be made on flexible substrates, like this experimental cell.

Unleashing perovskites’ potential for solar cells

New results show how varying the recipe could bring these materials closer to commercialization.

February 7, 2019

Eugene Fitzgerald

Eugene Fitzgerald appointed CEO and director of the Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology

Professor of materials science and engineering to lead MIT’s research enterprise in Singapore.

February 6, 2019

This illustration depicts the main elements of the system the team used: The multicolored slab at center is the metal layer being studied, the pale blue region at left is the electrolyte solution used as a source of hydrogen, the small blue dots are the hydrogen atoms, and the green laser beams at right are probing the process. The large cylinder at right is a probe used to indent the metal to tes...

Observing hydrogen’s effects in metal

Microscopy technique could help researchers design safer reactor vessels or hydrogen storage tanks.

February 4, 2019

Researchers from MIT and elsewhere have designed the first fully flexible, battery-free “rectenna” — a device that converts energy from Wi-Fi signals into electricity — that could be used to power flexible and wearable electronics, medical devices, and sensors for the “internet of things.”

Converting Wi-Fi signals to electricity with new 2-D materials

Device made from flexible, inexpensive materials could power large-area electronics, wearables, medical devices, and more.

January 28, 2019

This illustration shows the 12 different forms that six-atom vacancy defects in graphene can have, as determined by the researchers. The pie chart shows the relative abundances that are predicted for each of these different forms.

Researchers catalog defects that give 2-D materials amazing properties

Theoretical analysis distinguishes observed “holes” from the huge list of hypothetically possible ones.

January 14, 2019