Aerogels are often described as 'frozen smoke' because these extremely light materials are composed mostly of air
Until now, it has been almost impossible to measure the energy density of hydrogen precisely, but a new sensor can register every single molecule. This could lay the foundation for correct accounting in the hydrogen economy.
Researchers developed a room-temperature, maskless electrodeposition method for directly 3D-printing freestanding copper microinductors onto chip contact pads, enabling inductance to be generated without requiring additional dedicated planar silicon area. The printed microsolenoids achieved nanohenry-range inductance, quality factors up to 18, and experimentally validated inductive behavior up to 15 GHz, supporting their potential for post-fabrication integration into future RF electronics.
By Akshatha Chandrashekar
10 Sep 2026
High-entropy alloys are highly promising structural and functional materials. Among them, refractory high-entropy alloys possess outstanding high-temperature mechanical properties and have broad application prospects in critical components under extreme working conditions such as aerospace, nuclear power, and gas turbines.
A signal that appears to show ions moving inside a battery may, in fact, be an illusion caused by an uneven surface. A KAIST research team has identified the origin of this type of artifacts, which can lead researchers to misinterpret what is happening inside a battery, and has developed a method to reduce it. The findings are expected to enable more accurate analysis of ion movement and improve the reliability of next-generation battery-material development, including that of solid-state and sodium-ion batteries.
Researchers characterized four commercial blue pigments with three conservation binders using thermal analysis, ATR-FTIR, SEM-EDS, and microscopy, revealing marked differences in thermal behavior and predominantly non-homogeneous pigment-binder mixtures. Most notably, a commercial manganese blue contained no detectable manganese, while 11 of 12 pigment-binder combinations showed non-uniform behavior, highlighting the value of verifying material composition and compatibility before conservation use.
By Muhammad Osama
9 Sep 2026
Korea Institute of Materials Science (KIMS), led by President Chul-jin Choi, announced that a research team led by Principal Researcher Sung Mook Choi of the Energy & Environment Materials Research Division, in collaboration with research teams led by Professor Min Ho Seo of Pukyong National University and Professor Won Bae Kim of Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH), has developed a highly durable platinum-nickel (PtNi) hydrogen evolution catalyst that suppresses nickel (Ni) leaching through atomic ordering.
Rare-earth oxides such as cerium oxide, lanthanum oxide, and yttrium oxide can improve laser-cladded metal coatings by refining grains, purifying the molten pool, strengthening interfaces, and altering solidification behavior. The review finds that these effects can increase hardness, wear resistance, corrosion resistance, and crack resistance, although performance depends strongly on additive concentration, particle size, alloy system, and processing conditions.
By Muhammad Osama
8 Sep 2026
Detecting radiation is key to technologies ranging from particle accelerators and scientific instruments to medical imaging and security screening.
Inside some fusion energy systems, particles hotter than the core of the sun can become unruly in a few thousandths of a second, far faster than any human operator can react.
Semplor has introduced NANOS EBSD, a tabletop scanning electron microscope (SEM) with integrated Electron Backscatter Diffraction (EBSD) capability, bringing crystallographic analysis into a compact and intuitive SEM platform.
Semplor has launched ONYX, a new tabletop scanning electron microscope (SEM) designed to give laboratories greater flexibility when working with large or multiple samples and higher-throughput workflows.
This review examines how the rheology, surface oxidation, and interfacial properties of liquid metals shape their printability and performance in stretchable electronics. The authors show how advances in material formulation and 2D-to-4D printing are enabling highly conductive, deformable devices, while identifying scalability, encapsulation, recyclability, and reliable integration as key barriers to practical use.
By Muhammad Osama
7 Sep 2026
Metrohm introduces OMNIS IC, the next-generation ion chromatography system designed to combine maximum flexibility, automation, and reliability on a single analytical platform.
Future lunar bases will depend on materials that can withstand radiation, extreme temperatures, vacuum, and abrasive dust while supporting power generation, storage, and transmission at increasingly large scales. The review highlights how radiation-tolerant photovoltaics, regolith-based thermal storage, lunar-derived conductors and other ISRU-compatible materials could reduce launch mass and help enable more resilient lunar energy infrastructure.
By Akshatha Chandrashekar
4 Sep 2026