Materials Science and Engineering

Bringing a new perspective to infectious diseaseEnlisted in the fight against HIV, MIT engineers and scientists contribute new technology, materials and computational studies.

A safer way to vaccinatePolymer film that gradually releases DNA coding for viral proteins could offer a better alternative to traditional vaccines.

Putting the squeeze on cellsBy deforming cells, researchers can deliver RNA, proteins and nanoparticles for many applications.

How to treat heat like lightNew approach using nanoparticle alloys allows heat to be focused or reflected just like electromagnetic waves.

New material harvests energy from water vaporPolymer film could be used in artificial muscle and to power micro- and nanoelectronic devices.

How to stop leaks — the way blood doesHarnessing the principle that allows blood to clot, MIT researchers are working on new synthetic materials to plug holes.

Research update: Jumping droplets help heat transferScalable nanopatterned surfaces designed by MIT researchers could make for more efficient power generation and desalination.

Flexible, light solar cells could provide new opportunitiesMIT researchers develop a new approach using graphene sheets coated with nanowires.

New experiments, new insights into stress corrosion crackingMIT researchers now have new insights into how 'stress corrosion cracking' may be affected by nanoscale disruptions in the crystalline structure of metallic materials.

Inspiration from a porcupine’s quillsUnderstanding the mechanisms behind quill penetration and extraction could help engineers design better medical devices.

Building a better worldFrom fuel cells to bamboo, and from Tanzania to Brazil, MIT senior Arfa Aijazi crosses borders and disciplines to make an impact.

Varanasi selected as outstanding young manufacturing engineer by SMEMIT professor of mechanical engineering is one of just seven recipients of the award this year.

The music of the silksResearchers synthesize a new kind of silk fiber — and find that music can help fine-tune the material’s properties.

Funneling the sun’s energyMIT engineers propose a new way of harnessing photons for electricity, with the potential for capturing a wider spectrum of solar energy.

The mysteries in materialsMIT senior Shannon Taylor researches 500-year-old artifacts and art to understand and restore materials.

New material shares many of graphene’s unusual propertiesThin films of bismuth-antimony have potential for new semiconductor chips, thermoelectric devices.

Taking an innovative approach to battery designDonald Sadoway’s radical rethinking of electricity storage could revitalize renewable-power technologies.

Clarice Aiello: Finding quantum gold in diamond’s defect