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Photos show a solar installation from 1988 (left) and a present-day version. Though the basic underlying technology is the same, a variety of factors have contributed to a hundredfold decline in costs. Now, researchers have identified the relative importance of these different factors.

Explaining the plummeting cost of solar power

Researchers uncover the factors that have caused photovoltaic module costs to drop by 99 percent.

November 20, 2018

Using a high-resolution system called electron tomography, researchers probed a tiny sample of kerogen to determine its internal structure. At left, the sample as seen from the outside, and at right, the detailed 3-D image of its internal pore structure.

Structure of fossil-fuel source rocks is finally decoded

Detailed 3-D imaging of kerogen, a source of petroleum and natural gas, could improve estimates of recoverable amounts.

November 12, 2018

Illustration shows how hydrogen ions (red dots), controlled by an electric voltage, migrate through an intermediate material to change the magnetic properties of an adjacent magnetic layer(shown in green).

Study opens route to ultra-low-power microchips

Innovative approach to controlling magnetism could lead to next-generation memory and logic devices.

November 12, 2018

Researchers demonstrating the ability of aluminum to repel oil underwater.

Extending the life of low-cost, compact, lightweight batteries

New design could greatly extend the shelf life of single-use metal-air batteries for electric vehicles, off-grid storage, and other applications.

November 8, 2018

$This photo shows water droplets placed on the nanostructured surface developed by MIT researchers. The colors are caused by diffraction of visible light from the tiny structures on the surface, ridges with a specially designed shape.$

A new approach to liquid-repelling surfaces

Novel surface design overcomes problem of condensation that bedeviled previous systems.

November 1, 2018

By integrating conductive wires along with microfluidic channels in long fibers, the researchers were able to demonstrate the ability to sort cells — in this case, separating living cells from dead ones, because the cells respond differently to an electric field. The live cells, shown in green, are pulled toward the outside edge of the channels, while the dead cells (red) are pulled toward the c...

Inside these fibers, droplets are on the move

Fibers containing systems for mixing, separating, and testing fluids may open up new possibilities for medical screening.

October 29, 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

A collection of mini-spectrometer chips are arrayed on a tray after being made through conventional chip-making processes.

Inexpensive chip-based device may transform spectrometry

Tiny device could replace expensive lab-scale equipment for many applications.

October 23, 2018

Fusion, and specifically the physics of plasmas, has remained Nuno Loureiro’s primary research focus through graduate school, postdoc stints, and now in his research and teaching at MIT.

Nuno Loureiro: Probing the world of plasmas

Physicist explores the behavior of the universe’s most abundant form of matter.

October 15, 2018

To study phase changes in materials, such as freezing and thawing, researchers used charge density waves — electronic ripples that are analogous to the crystal structure of a solid. They found that when phase change is triggered by a pulse of laser light, instead of by a temperature change, it unfolds very differently, starting with a collection of whirlpool-like distortions called topological d...

When light, not heat, causes melting

Study reveals the details of light-induced phase changes.

October 15, 2018

Diagrams illustrate the self-healing properties of the new material. At top, a crack is created in the material, which is composed of a hydrogel (dark green) with plant-derived chloroplasts (light green) embedded in it. At bottom, in the presence of light, the material reacts with carbon dioxide in the air to expand and fill the gap, repairing the damage.

Self-healing material can build itself from carbon in the air

Taking a page from green plants, new polymer “grows” through a chemical reaction with carbon dioxide.

October 11, 2018

The ARC conceptual design for a compact, high magnetic field fusion power plant. The design now incorporates innovations from the newly published research to handle heat exhaust from the plasma.

A new path to solving a longstanding fusion challenge

Novel design could help shed excess heat in next-generation fusion power plants.

October 9, 2018

The MIT.nano building, at the center of campus adjacent to the Great Dome, has expansive glass facades that allow natural light into the labs while giving visitors a clear view of the research in action.

A big new home for the ultrasmall

MIT.nano building, the largest of its kind, will usher in a new age of nanoscale advancements.

September 23, 2018

This scanning electron microscope image shows the carbon cathode of a carbon-dioxide-based battery made by MIT researchers, after the battery was discharged. It shows the buildup of carbon compounds on the surface, composed of carbonate material that could be derived from power plant emissions, compared to the original pristine surface (inset).

New battery gobbles up carbon dioxide

Lithium-based battery could make use of greenhouse gas before it ever gets into the atmosphere.

September 21, 2018

Sheila Widnall, MIT Institute Professor and former secretary of the U.S. Air Force

3Q: Sheila Widnall on sexual harassment in STEM

National Academies report cites need for strong leadership and cultural change; will be focus of upcoming MIT panel discussion.

September 17, 2018

MIT News | Massachusetts Institute of Technology

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