Materials
Whether it's the latest wonder material, such as graphene, or uncovering the secrets to the longevity of ancient Roman concrete, material science is the reason so much of our technology is more than the sum of its parts.
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If you live in a noisy urban area, you're gonna love the sound of this. Researchers in Switzerland have developed a material that can dampen street noise while being four times thinner than similar-performing absorbers used in construction. -
In what could be an industry shifting breakthrough, researchers have created a screen about the size of a human pupil with a resolution that breaks through the limits of pixels. The invention could radically change virtual reality and other applications. -
While sustainably-grown wood can be an eco-friendly building material, its relatively low tensile strength limits its potential applications. That could soon change, however, thanks to a new self-densifying technique for creating super-strong wood.
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Latest News
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November 27, 2025 | Abhimanyu GhoshalIndustrial pipes carrying water or chemicals invariably get gunked up as deposits accumulate on their internal surfaces. Researchers in Texas have found that lining pipes with lab-grown diamond film can prevent buildup like nothing else. -
November 27, 2025 | Abhimanyu GhoshalResearchers in South Australia have found a way to funnel a byproduct of the highly destructive process of lithium mining into making stronger and more durable concrete. -
November 25, 2025 | Ben CoxworthAlthough we've heard a lot about how 3D-printing concrete homes speeds up the construction process, you still have to wait up to 28 days for the concrete to sufficiently cure. A new printable substitute, however, is ready to go in just three days. -
November 24, 2025 | Abhimanyu GhoshalRare earth elements that are crucial for producing tech products, from EVs to phones, require destructive mining to get them out of the ground. Scientists in China might have just found another source for them that's easier to reach: ferns. -
November 18, 2025 | Ben CoxworthGlass-filled polypropylene is already a very commonly used plastic for automotive parts, but could it be improved? Well, yes. A new substance, Gratek, is claimed to make the plastic 20% stronger yet 18% lighter, thanks to the addition of graphene. -
November 15, 2025 | Shirl LeighA recently published study shows promising results from combining edible turkey tail fungus with a solution of wood fibers. The end product is a natural sustainable waterproof coating that may be a replacement for single-use plastic food wrap. -
November 03, 2025 | Bronwyn ThompsonA roof paint that can cool your home and pull fresh water straight out of the air? It's within reach, as scientists scale up production of a new kind of paint-like coating that shields roofing from the sun's rays and harvests dew from its surface. -
October 11, 2025 | Chelsea HaneyBy breaking the rules of atomic order, scientists have created a material unlike any seen before. Nine metals share a single atom-thin sheet, their layers dissolved into a patchwork of possibility. The result could redefine how we design materials. -
October 07, 2025 | Abhimanyu GhoshalResearchers in China have devised a new method for producing bamboo-based plastic which results in a strong material that can compete with traditional plastics, be flexibly shaped as needed, and can also degrade in soil in less than two months. -
October 01, 2025 | Pranjal MalewarAs AI systems grow bigger our data centers are feeling the heat with rising power demands. To tackle these growing energy needs, researchers have created a new chip that swaps electricity for light to handle one of AI's most power-hungry jobs. -
September 17, 2025 | Michael FrancoAluminum production creates a toxic byproduct known as red mud. In an effort to cut down on this waste, researchers have figured out a way to send electric pulses through the mud to purify it and allow it to be reused instead of discarded. -
September 05, 2025 | Pranjal MalewarOnce a harmless drifter in the Sargasso Sea, an algae known as sargassum is now flooding beaches, from Brazil to the Caribbean, with stinky piles. But some clever researchers have mixed it into concrete creating a new, ultra-light building material. -
August 31, 2025 | Chelsea HaneyTougher than steel, lighter than cotton. For decades, spider silk has been the material science promised but never quite delivered at scale. Now, a biotech company claims it has cracked the code by turning the familiar silkworm into living factories. -
August 30, 2025 | Chelsea HaneyWhile machines have mastered both sight and sound, the sense of taste has largely remained exclusive to biological organisms. Now, researchers in Beijing have built a graphene oxide “tongue” that doesn’t just detect chemicals, it learns them. -
August 25, 2025 | Abhimanyu GhoshalGiant solidified masses of fat, grease, and other waste threaten to clog sewer lines and cause huge spillages in cities worldwide. Researchers at RMIT have developed two novel ways to prevent these blocks of waste from forming.
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