On left is a tiny rectangular device that is about 20-30 mm. On right is a heatmap of the device that shows the device is hotter in the middle.

Scientists 3D Print Self-heating Microfluidic Devices

Adam Zewe | MIT News

The one-step fabrication process rapidly produces miniature chemical reactors that could be used to detect diseases or analyze substances.

Layers of 2D materials are represented by yellow and green grids made of balls. They are on top of a yellow and pink rectangular structure, and bursts of blue light emanate.

Researchers Safely Integrate Fragile 2D Materials into Devices

Adam Zewe | MIT News

The advance opens a path to next-generation devices with unique optical and electronic properties.

A simple white neural network in foreground is above four background textures: rough gold, wet plastic, a heat-map, and scratched metal.

MIT Engineers Develop a Way to Determine how the Surfaces of Materials Behave

David L. Chandler | MIT News

Using machine learning, the computational method can provide details of how materials work as catalysts, semiconductors, or battery components.

Artist’s concept of four domes comprised of spheres representing nanoparticles. Three of the domes have different colored particle beams shining down on them.

Team Engineers Nanoparticles Using Ion Irradiation to Advance Clean Energy and Fuel Conversion

Elizabeth Thomson | Materials Research Laboratory

Combining the techniques, metal exsolution and ion irradiation, demonstrates control over key nanoparticle properties leading to better performance.

Rendering shows 3 parts as if on a grey table: a white model house on top; a fuel cell sandwiched in between two metal plates with spherical molecules floating around it; and on bottom is the electrolyzer, which looks similar to the fuel cell and has molecules floating around it.

Engineers Develop an Efficient Process to Make Fuel from Carbon Dioxide

David L. Chandler | MIT News

The approach directly converts the greenhouse gas into formate, a solid fuel that can be stored indefinitely and could be used to heat homes or power industries.

Between layers of graphene are 4 paired, shiny electrons. 2 are blue and 2 are red, and whisps of glowing energy connect them together. They have rings like Saturn, and these rings move them clockwise or counter-clockwise.

From a Five-layer Graphene Sandwich, a Rare Electronic State Emerges

Jennifer Chu | MIT News

A newly discovered type of electronic behavior could help with packing more data into magnetic memory devices.

Graphic showing 3 layers of graphene that, when superimposed, display large hexagonal patterns in certain locations

Physicists Coax Superconductivity and More from Quasicrystals

Elizabeth A. Thomson | Materials Research Laboratory

Flexible platform could produce enigmatic materials, lead to new studies of exotic phenomena.

Seven rows of paired almond-shaped objects are colored red, green, and yellow. Each pair is very similar to each other.

Pixel-by-pixel Analysis Yields Insights into Lithium-ion Batteries

Anne Trafton | MIT News

In a first, researchers have observed how lithium ions flow through a battery interface, which could help engineers optimize the material’s design.

A blue squiggle-like DNA graphic points down in the center emitting light downwards. Two red DNA graphics are pointed up beside it. A structured array composed of triangular rods lie flat on dark gray surface, while the top rows of the arrays contain pieces resembling red pills.

Arrays of Quantum Rods Could Enhance TVs or Virtual Reality Devices

Anne Trafton | MIT News

MIT engineers have used DNA origami scaffolds to create precisely structured arrays of quantum rods, which could be incorporated into LEDs for televisions or virtual reality devices.

A closeup of the laser equipment shows metallic rods, a circuit board, wires, and lenses, all in a green glow.

Sensing and Controlling Microscopic Spin Density in Materials

David L. Chandler | MIT News

By fine-tuning the spin density in some materials, researchers may be able to develop new quantum sensors or quantum simulations.