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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

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

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

Researchers from MIT and elsewhere have recorded the “temporal coherence” of a graphene qubit — how long it maintains a special state that lets it represent two logical states simultaneously — marking a critical step forward for practical quantum computing.

Physicists record “lifetime” of graphene qubits

First measurement of its kind could provide stepping stone to practical quantum computing.

December 31, 2018

Pablo Jarillo-Herrero (right), an associate professor of physics at MIT, was honored with Physics World's Breakthrough of the Year for his group's discovery of “magic-angle” graphene, a “promising technique for adjusting the electronic properties of graphene.” Graduate student Yuan Cao (left) was a lead researcher in the work.

MIT research honored with Physics World “Breakthrough of the Year” awards

"Magic-angle" graphene named 2018 Breakthrough of the Year; first ionic plane and earliest evidence of hydrogen gas named to top 10 breakthroughs.

December 27, 2018

BP Amoco Chemical Company Senior Research Chemist Matthew Kulzick outlines advances in imaging technology during the MIT MRL Materials Day Symposium on Oct. 10.

Solving a multi-million dollar problem

In MIT visit, BP chemist details new X-ray and sample chamber technologies, yielding insights into fighting metal corrosion, improving catalytic reactions, and more.

November 13, 2018

This photo shows circles on a graphene sheet where the sheet is draped over an array of round posts, creating stresses that will cause these discs to separate from the sheet. The gray bar across the sheet is liquid being used to lift the discs from the surface.

How to mass produce cell-sized robots

Technique from MIT could lead to tiny, self-powered devices for environmental, industrial, or medical monitoring.

October 23, 2018

Researchers in MIT’s Department of Mechanical Engineering have developed a technique to harvest 2-inch diameter wafers of 2-D material within just a few minutes.

Researchers quickly harvest 2-D materials, bringing them closer to commercialization

Efficient method for making single-atom-thick, wafer-scale materials opens up opportunities in flexible electronics.

October 11, 2018

The Fiat Flux team earned the $10,000 first-place prize for its prototype of a self-cleaning water filtration system. Team members pose with Michael Tarkanian (right), a senior lecturer in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering (DMSE) who runs MADMEC. Team members pictured are: (from left to right) Gabriel Loke, Alvin Tan and Zheng Jie Tan.

MADMEC finals spotlight promising materials science prototypes

Prizes went to solutions for improving water filtration systems, metal fatigue resistance, and boron production.

October 11, 2018

MIT researchers have developed a technique to fabricate large squares of graphemes that can filter out small molecules and salts.

Stamp-sized graphene sheets riddled with holes could be boon for molecular separation

Fabrication technique could be integrated into manufacturing to make large-scale membranes.

October 9, 2018

MIT News | Massachusetts Institute of Technology

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