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Changes to the UK’s transport and energy storage sectors will need an additional 55GWh of batteries, says the Faraday Battery Challenge.

The clay-based materials can be customised for a range of analytical, commercial and medical applications.

This issue explores the influence of thermal processes and temperature control on the microstructure, performance, and longevity of advanced materials across energy and manufacturing applications.

MIT engineers are manufacturing nanoparticles to deliver cancer drugs to tumors.

A 'first-of-its-kind' optical sensor can reportedly simultaneously measure wavelength and polarisation.

The research sets out a method for estimating the forced labour risk in producing on-grid, photovoltaic solar energy.

The heating method is based on a dielectric susceptors nanocoating made of layers of carbon nanotubes.

Drawing from the layered structure of the human skin, for a more durable de-icing surface.

There is a need for rapid and sensitive detection of avian influenza due to recent outbreaks.

The importance of taking a materials-first approach to embed sustainability in additive manufacturing.

Researchers in America have removed more PFAS from groundwater than traditional methods with low toxicity.

Boost for quantum technology to tackle fraud, prevent money laundering and drive growth.

Kinetic energy penetrators and zinc-air batteries are among the topics discussed in this latest issue.

Microwave sintering for solar cell applications and silicate–based thermal insulating material are among the topics discussed in this latest issue.

A cathode active material (CAM) plant is to be built in Kotka, Finland, while Europe’s largest battery site in Blackhillock, Scotland, commences operations.

Vishay Intertechnology intends to invest in their Newport plant in Wales.

The programme will match companies with UK academic experts to accelerate technology development.

The process could make aluminium production more efficient while reducing hazardous wastewater from the manufacturing process.

Huntingdonshire is attempting to position itself at the heart of battery development in the UK and the world.

The first, 2D, mechanically interlocked material is reported to have been made at Northwestern University, USA.

The first fully 3D-printed, droplet-emitting, electrospray engine has been developed at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA.

The electrode can encase nerves without damaging them.

The first passenger car powered by a lithium-metal, solid-state battery takes to the road in a new testing programme.

Nanocrystalline magnesium alloy preparation and superalloy filler powders are among the topics discussed in this latest issue.

A polymer that can fix itself after it has been cracked or broken into pieces is on the horizon, claim researchers at Bournemouth University, UK. 

The UK's Defence and Security Accelerator (DASA) launches a competition seeking innovations in dermal protection.

The isotope known for radiocarbon-dating the past might power batteries thousands of years into the future.

A technology developed in Japan could enable electric-field-based data writing into memory devices with reduced energy consumption.

Can balloons made using graphene hold the future to aerospace technology?

German company Panacol has developed a UV adhesive specifically for foil lamination of organic (OPV) and perovskite-based (PSC) photovoltaic systems.

The spray coating optimises the wavelength of light shining onto plants in a greenhouse, improving their growth and yield.

A study investigating the heat transport properties of MXene single flakes has found ‘exceptionally’ low anisotropic thermal conductivities.

The Advanced Carbons Council (ACC) has launched as a global trade association to support the production, adoption and use of engineered advanced carbons.

The South Yorkshire Digital Health Hub, UK, awarded funding to seven projects.

A novel composite material reportedly combines two previously incompatible properties – high stiffness and high damping capacity.

A passive cooling device for solar cells has been designed to work using only gravity.

Researchers at the University of Oxford, UK, have made progress towards realising miniature soft batteries for biomedical applications

A flower-shaped 3D microelectrode array could help achieve breakthroughs in the study of neurological diseases.

The multifunctionality to commercialise massless energy storage has been achieved at a Swedish university.

An overview of materials in harsh environments.

A report on the solar industry warns ‘the time is now’ to implement circular economy measures that help it meet government net-zero targets.

A ‘super-black wood’ that can absorb more than 99.3% of UV and visible light was found by accident.

An ultra-thin 2D surface could arm next-gen 6G satellites with improved signal quality and remote sensing, and also carry more data.

The report advises the UK government on how to improve economic security.

Fabricated gold nanowires and soft electrodes could connect to the human nervous system to alleviate medical conditions.

Researchers at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), USA, have found a way to make structural materials last longer under the harsh conditions inside a fusion reactor.

A patent for a solid electrolyte material for secondary batteries used for energy storage.

A way to remove harmful per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) ‘forever chemicals’ from water has been designed using 3D printing.

Three industry practitioners join Alex Brinded to discuss the future of the Foundation Industries.

The role of CO₂ in the oxidation kinetics of amine-functional sorbents for carbon capture is better understood, thanks to research that could improve direct air capture (DAC) technologies.

The Henry Royce Institute has published a report that aims to future-proof the UK's bioelectronics for healthcare sector through materials innovation.

A multi-layered, anti-counterfeiting approach from inventors at Western University, Canada, creates markings that are purportedly much harder to forge.

A crystalline carbon-nitride membrane is being heralded as a potential game-changer for lithium extraction from salt lakes.

Sarah Haigh is at the helm of a project at the University of Manchester, UK, to develop a unique transmission electron microscope that integrates artificial intelligence and automation.

A 'world-first' prototype of a space solar satellite has been tested at Queen’s University Belfast, UK.

Aesthetically pleasing, high-efficiency, coloured solar panels could add new appeal to photovoltaic systems for architects and building owners.

Seeing how nanoscale building blocks can rearrange could lead to chameleon-like properties.

American and Korean researchers have developed an inexpensive bandage that uses an electric field to promote healing in chronic wounds.

Two British universities claim to know why German firms are refusing to join the US tech trade war with China over semiconductor chips.

A UV ray-emitting glass could reduce 98% of biofilm growing on surfaces underwater, according to its inventors in the US.

A miniaturised erbium-based fibre laser that fits on a on a silicon-nitride photonic chip has been created by Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne researchers.

Femtosecond lasers that can weld glass-to-glass make solar modules easier to recycle, says a US team.

Austrian-based scientists have developed quasi-2D, perovskite solar cells to improve the efficiency and stability of ultra-lightweight photovoltaics.

Medical alloys to reduce the distortion of MRI images.

Canadian researchers working with the Canadian Light Source at the University of Saskatchewan have found a cost effective way to make the metals.

A more hygienic coating for galvanised steel food storage containers reduces the risk of corrosion by 70%, claim inventors at Texas A&M University, USA. They say the surface repels bacteria.

A compound to 3D print lightweight telecommunication antennae and other connectivity devices has been developed in a US-Canadian collaboration.

Celebrating emerging talent in materials, minerals and mining

University of Sheffield, UK, is helping to extend the duration of rentable batteries in sub-Saharan Africa.

A tubular cell that withstands high temperatures could cut costs for steam-based hydrogen production.

A deep dive into materials science for quantum technologies.

An elastomer-based ink for 3D printing objects with locally changing mechanical properties negates mechanical joints, say inventors at EPFL, Switzerland.

UK battery researchers can apply for rapid access to facilities at the Henry Royce Institute, UK.

An integrated silicon-gel electrolyte system could make it possible for electric vehicles to travel up to 1,000km on a single charge.

Researchers in Aalto University, Finland, claim their metamaterial is 'true one-way glass' previously deemed beyond existing technologies.

The metamaterial has 'levels of strength for weight not normally seen in nature or manufacturing' say RMIT University designers, Australia.

Enzo Satkuru-Granzella, Analyst at Mkango Resources Limited, and Abeshaa Mahendran, Metallurgist at HyProMag, review a novel, rare-earth elements recycling technique using hydrogen.

An aerogel sensor uses artificial intelligence to detect formaldehyde at concentrations of 8ppb using little energy.

A piezoelectric material to promote bone growth aims to combat the high cost of existing bone healing methods.

A metal-free magnetic gel could soon guide soft robots, medical devices, implants and drugs, according to its inventors in the US and Germany.

A portable antenna that packs down to a small size and shifts between two configurations without using additional power could be quickly deployed after disasters to restore communications.

An anti-icing film that only requires sunlight to work has been developed at a South Korean institute. 

Materials testing evolves as the automotive industry shifts towards electric vehicles.

Dr Michael Ford MIMMM at Haseltine Lake Kempner explores a patent for an anti-fouling coating on marine vessels.

The rise of ceramic matrix composites is an opportunity for the UK supply chain. The team at the National Composites Centre elaborate on the expanding applications and growing market.

A material to remove urea from water for hydrogen gas has been developed at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, USA.

An adaptive roof tile could lower heating bills in winter and cooling bills in the summer without the need for electronics.

A self-powered, battery-free, energy-harvesting sensor has been designed by researchers based in the US.

The food sector’s trial of batch-reverse osmosis technology has commenced at vertical farm GrowUp Farms in Kent.

The UK Battery Industrialisation Centre secures £38mln funding for facility upgrade.

A hybrid device that enhances the performance of semiconductor lasers while enabling the generation of shorter wavelengths has been developed by EPFL researchers.

A magnetoelectric material that performs a magnetic to electric conversion 120 times faster than similar materials could restore function in severed nerves.

Researchers in Finland claim to have created a surface that demonstrates exceptional water-repellent qualities by depositing a liquid-like coating on a nanostructured silicon substrate.