Carbon materials

American Physical Society honorees (left to right): Richard Milner and Pablo Jarillo-Herrero, professors of physics, and James Collins, professor of biological engineering.

American Physical Society honors three MIT professors for physics research

James Collins, Pablo Jarillo-Herrero, and Richard Milner have won top prizes for their work.

October 24, 2019

Optical image of a pattern of silicon dioxide particles, each 5 micrometers in diameter, and individually picked and placed using a new “electroadhesive” stamp.

“Electroadhesive” stamp picks up and puts down microscopic structures

New technique could enable assembly of circuit boards and displays with more minute components.

October 11, 2019

The Redemption of Vanity, is a work of art by MIT artist in residence Diemut Strebe that has been realized together with Brian L. Wardle, Professor of Aeronautics and Astronautics and Director of necstlab and Nano- Engineered Composite aerospace STructures (NECST) Consortium and his team Drs. Luiz Acauan and Estelle Cohen. Strebe’s residency at MIT is supported by the Center for Art, Science & ...

MIT engineers develop “blackest black” material to date

Made from carbon nanotubes, the new coating is 10 times darker than other very black materials.

September 12, 2019

Left to right: Postdoc Shu Fen Tan, graduate student Kate Reidy, and Professor Frances Ross, all of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, sit in front of a high vacuum evaporator system.

Creating new opportunities from nanoscale materials

MIT Professor Frances Ross is pioneering new techniques to study materials growth and how structure relates to performance.

September 5, 2019

A close up of a modern microprocessor built from carbon nanotube field-effect transistors.

MIT engineers build advanced microprocessor out of carbon nanotubes

New approach harnesses the same fabrication processes used for silicon chips, offers key advance toward next-generation computers.

August 28, 2019

A bright fluorescent quantum defect can be a tool to upgrade current biomedical imaging systems, looking at even smaller tumors through the defect emission.

A single-photon source you can make at home

Shining light through household bleach creates fluorescent quantum defects in carbon nanotubes for quantum computing and biomedical imaging.

August 9, 2019

Sodium-containing compounds, such as those found in common household ingredients like detergent, baking soda, and table salt, are surprisingly effective ingredients for cooking up carbon nanotubes, new MIT study finds.

Pantry ingredients can help grow carbon nanotubes

Study finds baking soda, detergent, and table salt — all rich in sodium — are effective catalysts.

May 28, 2019

This diagram illustrates the controlled switching of positions of a phosphorus atom within a layer of graphite by using an electron beam, as was demonstrated by the research team.

Manipulating atoms one at a time with an electron beam

New method could be useful for building quantum sensors and computers.

May 17, 2019

Seok Kim, a postdoc in Professor Nicholas Fang’s lab, holds up a 3-D-printed porous substrate that could be used as a catalytic reactor to remove toxic gases in cars and power plants.

A new era in 3-D printing

Mechanical engineering researchers are inventing game-changing technologies and developing a renaissance in 3-D printing.

May 16, 2019

By incorporating precise molecular sites (depicted in green) into graphite electrodes (shown as the gray lattice), the researchers were able to study the interactions of a proton (a hydrogen nucleus, shown as H+) and an electron (e-) with the surface, and to construct a model for proton- and electron-transfer steps that play key roles in energy conversion reactions.

Thermodynamic insights could lead to better catalysts

Experiments and analyses show how electrons and protons get together on an electrode surface.

May 2, 2019

Researchers at MIT and MGH have developed an image-guided surgical system that could help surgeons better visualize and remove tiny ovarian tumors. Fluorescent carbon nanotubes are used as probes to bind to the tumors, making them easier to see.

Imaging system helps surgeons remove tiny ovarian tumors

More effective surgery could boost survival rates for ovarian cancer.

April 23, 2019

Researchers find evidence that heat moves through graphite similar to the way sound moves through air.

Exotic “second sound” phenomenon observed in pencil lead

At relatively balmy temperatures, heat behaves like sound when moving through graphite, study reports.

March 14, 2019

The image on the right shows a graphene sheet coated with wax during the substrate-transfer step. This method drastically reduced wrinkles on the graphene’s surface compared to a traditional polymer coating (left).

Smoothing out the wrinkles in graphene

Coating graphene with wax makes for a less contaminated surface during device manufacturing.

March 6, 2019

MIT engineers have developed a way to deliver genes to the chloroplasts of plant cells. In these images, mesophyll cells (right) and epidermal cells (left) in an arugula leaf have been engineered to express a yellow fluorescent protein in their chloroplasts. Cell walls are stained red and chloroplasts are stained blue.

An easier way to engineer plants

MIT-led team uses nanoparticles to deliver genes into plant chloroplasts.

February 25, 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

MIT News | Massachusetts Institute of Technology - On Campus and Around the world

Browse By

Topics

Departments

Centers, Labs, & Programs

Schools

Topic