materials science and engineering

gloved hands hold up solar cell panels of different sizes

Jan 25, 2022

New Technique Boosts Efficiency, Sustainability of Large-Scale Perovskite Solar Cells

The technique will reduce the cost and improve the performance of mass-produced perovskite solar cells.

Students work in a textile lab, writing on whiteboards and working in small groups at tables

Nov 1, 2021

Where Textiles Meets STEM

In the Department of Textile Engineering, Chemistry and Science, STEM majors can discover surprising opportunities and exceptional career preparation.

This image shows the material birnessite with water molecules (red oxygen, two white hydrogen) and potassium cations (dark blue/lavender) at the outer surfaces and within the interlayer.

Aug 2, 2021

Birnessite Study Offers Insights For Electrochemistry, Energy Storage

The work sets the stage for understanding complex electrochemical reactions.

A B-2 Spirit (stealth) bomber is silhouetted against the clouds.

May 18, 2021

How a Tougher Skin Could Change the Shape of Stealth Aircraft

A new material promises to make stealth aircraft even stealthier.

Mar 26, 2021

Trapped Configurations of Plasmon-Coupled Gold Nanoparticles Useful for Thermal History Sensing

Basically, you can use light to see how hot the material got.

diagram of the material design in the new photonic device architecture

Feb 1, 2021

New Photonics Research Makes Smaller, More Efficient Virtual and Augmented Reality Tech Possible

The advance is a fundamentally new device architecture for photonic devices.

Illustration of how semiconductor properties change as grain size decreases in strontium titanate.

Jul 1, 2020

Researchers Develop Computational Model to Build Better Capacitors

Model aims to guide development of new energy storage devices for electronics.

May 26, 2020

Controlling Artificial Cilia With Magnetic Fields and Light

Researchers have made remotely-controlled, artificial cilia that bend into new shapes, then return to their original shape.

Oct 9, 2019

To Build a Better Semiconductor, First Identify Its Defects

By identifying its defects, researchers move us closer to new gallium oxide technologies.

Progressively smaller chips displayed in Phononic's headquarters.

Sep 11, 2019

A Refrigeration Revolution — Advanced on Centennial Campus

An innovative partnership with NC State helped startup Phononic disrupt the refrigeration industry.

Light shining on translucent material in the rough shape of a blossom

Aug 2, 2019

Technique Uses Magnets, Light to Control and Reconfigure Soft Robots

A new technique uses light and magnetic fields to remotely control the movement of soft robots, lock them into position for as long as needed, and later reconfigure the robots into new shapes.

Jun 6, 2019

Discovery Sheds Light on Synthesis, Processing of High-Performance Solar Cells

Halide perovskite solar cells hold promise as the next generation of solar cell technologies, but while researchers have developed techniques for improving their material characteristics, nobody understood why these techniques worked. New research sheds light on the science behind these engineering solutions.

Neil Baugh leaning over his lab bench, smiling at the camera.

May 16, 2019

Proving Ground

Undergraduate researcher Neil Baugh has immersed himself in some of the coolest research in higher education, from soft robotics to nanomaterials. Thanks to a Goldwater Scholarship, he has plenty more to think and do.

Apr 23, 2019

Engineering Graduate Student Wins Lemelson-MIT Student Prize

Graduate student Federico Scurti wins prestigious prize for innovative inventions.

Feb 22, 2019

Researchers Engineer a Tougher Fiber

Researchers have developed a fiber that combines the elasticity of rubber with the strength of a metal.