Faculty highlight: Michael Rubner
Materials scientist Mike Rubner’s collaboration with chemical engineer Robert Cohen yields anti-fog coatings, synthetic "backpacks" for living cells.
Department
Materials Science and Engineering
New formulation leads to improved liquid battery
Cheaper, longer-lasting materials could enable batteries that make wind and solar energy more competitive.
Magnetic neural control with nanoparticles
Customized arrays of iron oxide nanoparticles are possible based on their differing responses to alternating magnetic fields, MIT researchers report.
Re-inventing the grid
Cambridge-based MIT startup Ambri is building a novel liquid metal battery for grid-level storage to revolutionize energy in the 21st century.
Pioneering bioelectronic interfaces
Flexible polymer probes and magnetic nanoparticles promise breakthroughs for treating paralysis and brain disease.
The power of hidden patterns
Interfaces within materials can be patterned as a means of controlling the properties of composites.
Sorting cells with sound waves
Acoustic device that separates tumor cells from blood cells could help assess cancer’s spread.
Developing new light and energy technologies
Silvija Gradečak customizes nanoscale systems for large-scale impact in light and energy.
Recycling old batteries into solar cells
Proposal could divert a dangerous waste stream while producing low-cost photovoltaics.
Light pulses control graphene’s electrical behavior
Finding could allow ultrafast switching of conduction, and possibly lead to new broadband light sensors.
Building up bamboo
MIT researchers study bamboo for engineered building material, similar to plywood.
More than glitter
Scientists explain how gold nanoparticles easily penetrate cells, making them useful for delivering drugs.