Plant-to-human communication

Movable microplatform floating on droplets

A new approach to microelectromechanical systems (MEMS), developed by a team of researchers at MIT, could offer a new way of making movable parts with no solid connections between the pieces, potentially eliminating a major source of wear and failure. Video: Melanie Gonick/MIT more

Particles attract across long distances

MIT researchers have found a new kind of long-range interaction between particles, in a liquid medium, that is based entirely on their motions. Video: Melanie Gonick/MIT more

Experimenting With Thermopower Waves

“Experimenting with Thermopower Waves,” with MPC-CMSE 2015 Summer Scholar Stephen Gibbs and MIT Chemical Engineering graduate student Tianxiang (Albert) Liu. Recorded in the lab of Michael Strano, Carbon P. Dubbs Professor in Chemical Engineering, MIT. Recording and Editing, Denis Paiste, S ... more

Light may increase performance of fuel cells and lithium-ion batteries

Lithium-ion batteries, fuel cells and many other devices depend on the high mobility of ions in order to work properly. But there a large number of obstacles to such mobility. A research team led by Jennifer L. M. Rupp of the Technical University of Munich (TUM) and Harry L. Tuller of the M ... more

Frozen light in graphene

Scientists from University of Regensburg, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Moscow institute of Physics and Technology, and University of Kansas have discovered abnormally strong light absorption in graphene. The effect arises from the conversion of ordinary electromagnetic waves into ... more

Accelerating the discovery of new materials for 3D printing

The growing popularity of 3D printing for manufacturing all sorts of items, from customized medical devices to affordable homes, has created more demand for new 3D printing materials designed for very specific uses. To cut down on the time it takes to discover these new materials, researche ... more