Materials chemistry

Nanocrystals put new face on oxygen reduction

nanocrystal core-shell catalyst for fuel cells uses less Pt but drives the oxygen reduction reaction more efficiently and is more durable

3D-printed polymers for lightweight structures

More durable materials from 3D printing of polymers

Storing renewable energy even when there is no sun or wind

New class of polymers brings cheaper grid batteries

‘Chimera’ membrane promises to filter out micropollutants

new type of membrane can filter micropollutants like pharmaceuticals, pesticides, and plasticizers from drinking or wastewater

Safe titanium can replace toxic lead in perovskite solar cells

Researchers have come up with a new titanium-based material for making lead-free, inorganic perovskite solar cells.

Understanding thermionic emission in graphene

Improving on Dirac cone approximation in graphene thermionic emission

Composite could help stop spread of infectious diseases

coating based on a metal-organic framework containing silver nanoparticles could reduce spread of bacterial contamination of surgical devices and surfaces

Laser makes micromachines right

direct laser writing approach can print such shape-changing 3D polymer micromachines in a single step

X-rays provide new insight into bioactive glass

X-ray analysis of sintering bioactive glass particles reveals process and opens door tailored scaffolds for bone repair

Materials Today: The Future of Materials Science

Titanic advance in semiconducting materials

Scientists have synthesized a novel form of titanium nitride, called titanic nitride, which has promising mechanical and optoelectronic properties.

Scientists cover metal ‘mesas’ in graphene

A method for encapsulating metals such as dysprosium and copper in a single layer of graphene could produce materials with novel properties.

New study finds MOFs have an issue with replicability

Comparing the results reported in thousands of papers about the properties of MOFs revealed that replicability could be a problem in material science.

Nanodevice acts as improved DNA detector

Improved DNA detection using nanopore sensors.