Metals

This illustration shows the characteristic “sheriff star”-type pattern of the Fermi surface, or distribution of electron energy and momentum, for the kagome metal FeSn, a 1-to-1 ratio compound of iron and tin.

MIT researchers realize “ideal” kagome metal electronic structure

Newly synthesized compound of iron and tin atoms in 1-to-1 ratio displays unique behavior.

December 12, 2019

Assistant Professor Heather Kulik (center) and graduate student Jon Paul Janet (right) are using neural networks coupled with genetic algorithms to examine huge databases of transition metal compounds for potential use in practical devices. Using the same technique, graduate student Aditya Nandy (left) is designing better catalysts for methane conversion reactions.

Finding novel materials for practical devices

MIT researchers use a new machine learning technique to rapidly evaluate new transition metal compounds to identify those that can perform specialized functions.

August 1, 2019

An artistic impression depicts ultra-quantum matter: from the cold topological matter (blue) to hot, strongly correlated metal (red).

Ultra-Quantum Matter research gets $8 million boost

MIT’s Senthil Todadri and Xiao-Gang Wen will study highly entangled quantum matter in a collaboration supported by the Simons Foundation.

May 29, 2019

This illustration depicts the main elements of the system the team used: The multicolored slab at center is the metal layer being studied, the pale blue region at left is the electrolyte solution used as a source of hydrogen, the small blue dots are the hydrogen atoms, and the green laser beams at right are probing the process. The large cylinder at right is a probe used to indent the metal to tes...

Observing hydrogen’s effects in metal

Microscopy technique could help researchers design safer reactor vessels or hydrogen storage tanks.

February 4, 2019

$Experiments on ultra-thin copper-oxide ceramic superconductors performed by MIT researchers showed an unexpected disorderly, or “glassy,” arrangement of electrons, known as a “Wigner glass.” At left, “Fourier space,” or momentum space, shows the diffraction data that proved the tendency of the charge ripples to align in any direction, while the image at right displays the random placem...$

Surprising electronic disorder in a copper oxide-based ceramic

MIT researchers use resonant X-ray scattering measurements to reveal unexpected “Wigner glass” in desirable superconducting material.

January 28, 2019

Silvija Gradečak, MIT professor in materials science and engineering, addresses the promise and the problems of perovskite solar cells. She spoke during the MIT Materials Research Laboratory Materials Day Symposium on Oct. 10.

Improving materials from the nanoscale up

At the Materials Day Symposium, researchers focus on tools that probe atomic structures in action to yield better designs for metals, solar cells, and polymers.

November 8, 2018

MIT researchers have shown that some of the atoms in an enzyme called carbon monoxide dehydrogenase can rearrange themselves when oxygen levels are low. A nickel atom (green) leaves the cube-like structure, displacing an iron atom (orange). One sulfur atom (yellow) also moves out of the cube.

Chemists discover unexpected enzyme structure

Metal cluster in enzyme that breaks down carbon dioxide can switch between two different shapes.

October 2, 2018

MIT postdoc Sulata Sahu (left) and graduate student Brian Chmielowiec hold a sample of nearly pure copper deposited on an iron electrode.

A new way of extracting copper

Researchers develop an electrically-driven process to separate commercially important metals from sulfide minerals in one step without harmful byproducts.

June 28, 2017