Search Stories

Mujid Kazimi, leading educator and researcher in nuclear technology, dies at 67

Leader of efforts to design new fuel cycles for nuclear power plants had been on the faculty since 1976.

July 2, 2015

A pilot manufacturing plant at 24M's headquarters in Cambridge has produced thousands of test batteries to demonstrate the efficiency of the new design.

New manufacturing approach slices lithium-ion battery cost in half

Reinventing how these batteries are made also improves their performance and recyclability.

June 23, 2015

In the process called initiated chemical vapor deposition (iCVD), Heated wires (pink cylinders) cause “initiator” molecules (red) to split, and they then interact with the monomers (purple) used for coating, causing them to collect on the cooler surface below, where they react to form a polymer chain as they build up in a uniform coating (bottom right).

Explained: chemical vapor deposition

Technique enables production of pure, uniform coatings of metals or polymers, even on contoured surfaces.

June 19, 2015

At IDDS in Tanzania last summer two participants, Mwanaharusi Goha from Tanzania and Helen Amorin from Ghana, work on building a bicycle-powered coffee bean sheller to be used by local farmers.

Teaching development skills on three continents

Annual summit expands to three sessions, focused on recycling, health care, and empowering desert communities.

June 12, 2015

Polymer material produced by a 3-D printer includes soft, flexible material (clear or lighter tone) with particles of hard material (black) embedded, in predetermined arrangements. When the material is compressed, its surface become bumpy in a pattern determined by the hard particles.

Surfaces get smooth or bumpy on demand

MIT research produces soft material with controllable surface textures that can be varied by squeezing.

June 11, 2015

Some students added flair to their graduation caps.

Megan Smith: It’s mind, hand … and heart

In Commencement remarks, U.S. CTO stresses the importance of the personal, caring side of MIT.

June 5, 2015

Researchers in the eastern tropical North Pacific used the sampling device shown here to gather water samples from various depths, at three different sampling locations.

Study: Ocean source of a greenhouse gas has been underestimated

Cycling of nitrous oxide, a potent greenhouse gas, is more intense than thought, and emissions are increasing.

June 4, 2015

Photo shows the open lattice of 3-D printed material, with materials having different characteristics of strength and flexibility indicated by different colors.

Tough biogel structures produced by 3-D printing

Stretchable, biocompatible hydrogels with complex patterning could be used in tissue engineering.

June 1, 2015

The key element of the new microgrid system is the power management unit, seen at the center in this rendering. Various devices — shown here as a fan, a light, and a cellphone charger — can be plugged directly into the unit, along with lines to supply power to other houses. The unit manages the power coming in from solar panels (shown at top), and sends the power either to the devices or, if n...

Bringing microgrids to rural villages

MIT team, working with villagers in India, designs peer-to-peer system to enable local power sharing.

June 1, 2015

An uncoated copper condenser tube (top left) is shown next to a similar tube coated with graphene (top right). When exposed to water vapor at 100 degrees Celsius, the uncoated tube produces an inefficient water film (bottom left), while the coated shows the more desirable dropwise condensation (bottom right).

Thin coating on condensers could make power plants more efficient

Graphene layer one atom thick could quadruple rate of condensation heat transfer in generating plants.

May 29, 2015

Microscope images of lab-produced fibers confirm the results of the MIT researchers' simulations of spider silk. At top are optical microscope images, and, at bottom, are scanning electron microscope images. At left are fibers 8 micrometers across, and, at right, are thinner, 3 micrometer fibers.

Spinning a new version of silk

Simulations and experiments aim to improve on spiders in creating strong, resilient fibers.

May 28, 2015

Copper substrate is shown in the process of being coated with graphene. At left, the process begins by treating the copper surface, and, at right, the graphene layer is beginning to form. Upper images are taken using visible light microscopy, and lower images using a scanning electron microscope.

How to make continuous rolls of graphene

New manufacturing process could take exotic material out of the lab and into commercial products.

May 21, 2015

Researchers have shown that a DC voltage applied to layers of graphene and boron nitride can be used to control light emission from a nearby atom. In these figures, graphene is represented by a maroon-colored top layer; boron nitride is represented by yellow-green lattices below the graphene; and the atom is represented by a grey circle. An applied DC voltage can drastically modify the graphene la...

Taking control of light emission

Researchers find a way of tuning light waves by pairing two exotic 2-D materials.

May 20, 2015

Henk van Houten, global head of Philips Research, and Associate Provost Karen Gleason

Philips establishes alliance with MIT

Company moves R&D headquarters to Cambridge and establishes a five-year, $25 million research alliance.

May 19, 2015

The Wobblit team displays their toy, a platform that you stand on and shift your weight to tilt it toward the lit-up edge segments.

Students get serious about fun

Mechanical engineering class designs toys that make music, light up, and battle for victory.

May 13, 2015

MIT News | Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Browse By

Topics

Departments

Centers, Labs, & Programs

Schools