#Materials11

17 Jun 2026

Solar panels that make seawater into drinking water

Researchers at the University of Rochester built solar panels that evaporate seawater, collect nearly all salts as solids and can separate lithium. The method uses laser-etched metal surfaces and may cut energy use and brine waste.

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Photo by American Public Power Association, Unsplash

26 Apr 2026

Turning lunar dust into building material

New research finds that lunar dust could be added to lightweight composites to make stronger, damage‑resistant parts. The idea could help build habitats and reduce how much material missions must bring from Earth.

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26 Apr 2026

Why tiny particles make rubber stronger

A University of South Florida team used large computer simulations to solve why microscopic particles reinforce rubber. They found a Poisson’s ratio mismatch makes rubber stiffer and stronger, with implications for tires and other industries.

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13 Apr 2026

Paint that Changes Colour to Record Impacts

Researchers at Tufts developed a coating that changes colour where a surface is struck, showing both location and force without electronics. The lasting colour map works on many materials and could help safety gear and package tracking.

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26 Mar 2026

Turning sawdust into fire‑resistant boards with struvite

Researchers at ETH Zurich and Empa have made a recyclable composite from sawdust and the mineral struvite. The material resists fire better than untreated wood, is lighter than cement boards, and can be recycled, but costs and scale remain issues.

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17 Mar 2026

Smart textiles could monitor and protect health

Researchers reviewed studies on MXenes, microscopic metal-based materials that can give fabrics new functions. MXene-based smart textiles can measure vitals, show antimicrobial behaviour and harvest solar energy, but they face limits like oxidation and sustainability.

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24 Feb 2026

Molecule stores sunlight and releases heat on demand

Chemists at UC Santa Barbara designed a modified molecule called pyrimidone that captures sunlight, stores it in chemical bonds and releases it as heat when triggered. Tests released enough heat to boil water under normal conditions.

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4 Feb 2026

Metal tubes that do not sink

Researchers developed treated metal tubes whose inner surface traps air and stays dry, so the tubes float even in rough water. The design could lead to floating rafts for ships, buoys and wave energy devices.

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20 Dec 2025

Why Rechargeable Batteries Lose Performance

Researchers found that repeated charging and discharging makes batteries expand and contract, causing tiny shape changes and stress. This “chemomechanical degradation” and spreading strain reduce performance and shorten battery life, and imaging revealed how it happens.

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8 Dec 2025

ETH Zurich makes nano-scale OLED pixels

Researchers at ETH Zurich created organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) at the nanoscale, with pixels down to about 100 nanometres. The team showed a logo of 2,800 nano-OLEDs and reports large gains in pixel density and new applications.

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25 Nov 2025

New physics model links molecular motion to MRI signals

Researchers at Rice University and Oak Ridge National Laboratory developed a physics-based model, presented in The Journal of Chemical Physics, that links molecular-scale motion to MRI signals and may improve image clarity.

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