Materials science

One-molecule-thick material has big advantagesMIT researchers produce complex electronic circuits from molybdenum disulfide, a material that could have many more applications.

Plants exhibit a wide range of mechanical properties, engineers findBiological structures may help engineers design new materials.

Graphene’s behavior depends on where it sitsNew findings show that the material beneath the thin carbon sheets determines how they react chemically and electrically.

Wrinkled surfaces could have widespread applicationsMIT team discovers way of making perfectly ordered and repeatable surfaces with patterns of microscale wrinkles.

Yildiz wins 2012 Charles W. Tobias Young Investigator Award

Research update: Chips with self-assembling rectanglesNew technique allows production of complex microchip structures in one self-assembling step.

Dripping faucets inspire new way of creating structured particlesResearchers find new method for making spherical particles, from nanoscale to pinhead-sized — including complex beach-ball-like shapes.

A new approach to water desalinationGraphene sheets with precisely controlled pores have potential to purify water more efficiently than existing methods.

New technique allows simulation of noncrystalline materialsMultidisciplinary team develops mathematical approach that could help in simulating materials for solar cells and LEDs.

All-carbon solar cell harnesses infrared lightNew type of photovoltaic device harnesses heat radiation that most solar cells ignore.

Teaching self-assembling structures a new trickMIT researchers produce 3-D configurations that could lead to new microchips and other devices.

Fusion program moves beyond plasma, toward practical powerplant issues

Crowding causes cells to produce an orderly matrix of moleculesMaking proteins stand in line could lead to more lifelike lab tests.

Nuclear science and engineering graduate students win NEUP fellowshipsBlack, Boyd and Shaner among 31 recipients

Gradečak wins Nano Letters young investigator awardMaterials science and engineering professor studies nanophotonics and electronics.

New technique predictably generates complex, wavy shapesMay help improve drug delivery and explain natural patterns from brain folds to bell peppers.

New coating for hip implants could prevent premature failureNanoscale films developed at MIT promote bone growth, creating a stronger seal between implants and patients’ own bone.

Time magazine names Lo, Sadoway among the world’s ‘most influential’ peopleSeveral MIT alumni also named to annual list.

13 faculty members elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences

Research team wins Somiya Award for International Collaboration

New method to prevent undersea ice clogsSurface coatings developed by MIT researchers could inhibit buildup of methane hydrates that can block deep-sea oil and gas wells.

New nuclear science and engineering faculty drive curriculum expansion into computational science and engineering

Clean energy could lead to scarce materialsRising demand for wind turbines and electric vehicles could strain supplies of some rare earth metals.

Seeing the music in natureFrom spider webs to tangled proteins, Markus Buehler finds the connections between mathematics, molecules and materials.