Search Stories

Dirty carbon reveals a sophisticated side

Coal could someday be used to make a variety of useful devices, researchers suggest.

April 27, 2020

Terahertz waves are pervasive in our daily lives, and if harnessed, their concentrated power could potentially serve as an alternate energy source. Imagine, for instance, a cellphone add-on that passively soaks up ambient T-rays and uses their energy to charge your phone.

Energy-harvesting design aims to turn high-frequency electromagnetic waves into usable power

Device for harnessing terahertz radiation might help power some portable electronics.

March 27, 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 native of Valencia, Spain, Pablo Jarillo-Herrero joined MIT as an assistant professor of physics in January 2008 and was promoted to full professor in 2018.

Pablo Jarillo-Herrero wins Wolf Prize for groundbreaking work on twistronics

Professor of physics honored alongside Allan MacDonald and Rafi Bistritzer for pioneering research on twisted bilayer graphene.

January 16, 2020

Jeffrey Grossman, the Morton and Claire Goulder and Family Professor in Environmental Systems and a MacVicar Faculty Fellow, has been appointed the new head of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering.

Jeffrey Grossman named head of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering

Materials engineering and energy expert to succeed Chris Schuh.

December 26, 2019

Graduate students, postdocs, and undergraduate UROP students presented their research to members of the MIT community, alumni, and industry representatives at the sixth annual Mechanical Engineering Research Exhibition.

Students present mechanical engineering projects that have global impact

At the sixth annual Mechanical Engineering Research Exhibition, graduate students and postdocs sharpen their communication and presentation skills.

October 29, 2019

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

MIT physics graduate student Dahlia Klein (left) and postdoc David MacNeill showed that magnetic order and stacking order are very strongly linked in two-dimensional magnets such as chromium chloride and chromium iodide, giving engineers a tool to vary the material’s magnetic properties.

Controlling 2-D magnetism with stacking order

MIT researchers discover why magnetism in certain materials is different in atomically thin layers and their bulk forms.

September 30, 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 crystal of bismuth has a staircase-like appearance because of the repeating honeycomb-like structure of its atoms. Researchers at MIT, along with colleagues elsewhere, have conducted a theoretical analysis to reveal several previously unidentified topological properties of bismuth. One such property makes bismuth a robust electronic conductor along its edges where horizontal and vertical faces m...

New insights into bismuth’s character

Theorists at MIT and collaborators uncover hidden topological insulator states in bismuth crystals.

August 6, 2019

Building the tools of the next manufacturing revolution

From industrializing 3-D printing to creating nanomaterials at scale, John Hart is reimagining the way things are made.

June 17, 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

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

Browse By

Topics

Departments

Centers, Labs, & Programs

Schools