New material harvests energy from water vapor
Polymer film could be used in artificial muscle and to power micro- and nanoelectronic devices.
Department
Materials Science and Engineering
Smithsonian recognizes MIT research on water desalination technology
Magazine ranks nanoporous graphene as one of the top five surprising scientific milestones of 2012.
How to stop leaks — the way blood does
Harnessing the principle that allows blood to clot, MIT researchers are working on new synthetic materials to plug holes.
Research update: Jumping droplets help heat transfer
Scalable nanopatterned surfaces designed by MIT researchers could make for more efficient power generation and desalination.
Flexible, light solar cells could provide new opportunities
MIT researchers develop a new approach using graphene sheets coated with nanowires.
MIT researchers discover a new kind of magnetism
Experiments demonstrate ‘quantum spin liquid,’ which could have applications in new computer memory storage.
Inspiration from a porcupine’s quills
Understanding the mechanisms behind quill penetration and extraction could help engineers design better medical devices.
Building a better world
From fuel cells to bamboo, and from Tanzania to Brazil, MIT senior Arfa Aijazi crosses borders and disciplines to make an impact.
The robotic equivalent of a Swiss army knife
Reconfigurable robot a step toward something that can become almost anything.
Funneling the sun’s energy
MIT engineers propose a new way of harnessing photons for electricity, with the potential for capturing a wider spectrum of solar energy.
Stronger than a speeding bullet
New tests of nanostructured material could lead to better armor against everything from gunfire to micrometeorites.
How to communicate science visually
In a new book, MIT’s Felice Frankel aims to help scientists and engineers improve the way they portray their research through photos, diagrams and graphs.