A new sensor detects harmful “forever chemicals” in drinking water

A user-friendly system could offer a cheap, fast way to test for PFAS

14-Mar-2024 - MIT chemists have designed a sensor that detects tiny quantities of perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) — chemicals found in food packaging, nonstick cookware, and many other consumer products. These compounds, also known as “forever chemicals” because they do not break down ...

How an African bird might inspire a better water bottle

An extreme closeup of feathers from a bird with an uncanny ability to hold water while it flies could inspire the next generation of absorbent materials

18-Apr-2023 - With high resolution microscopes and 3D technology, researchers at Johns Hopkins University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology captured an unprecedented view of feathers from the desert-dwelling sandgrouse, showcasing the singular architecture of their feathers and revealing for the first ...

Inside tiny tubes, water turns solid when it should be boiling

30-Nov-2016 - It's a well-known fact that water, at sea level, starts to boil at a temperature of 212 degrees Fahrenheit, or 100 degrees Celsius. And scientists have long observed that when water is confined in very small spaces, its boiling and freezing points can change a bit, usually dropping by around 10 C ...

Cobalt porphyrin catalysts could improve hydrogen fuel cells

26-Jul-2010 - Only a single metal centre is needed to catalyse the reduction of oxygen to produce water, according to researchers in the US. Daniel Nocera and colleagues at Massachusetts Institute of Technology have shown for the first time that single centre cobalt porphyrins anchored on carbon nanotubes and ...

New technique shows unprecedented precision in measuring liquid-solid interaction

New images improve resolution of measurements by a factor of 10,000 or more

27-Apr-2010 - Wettability — the degree to which a liquid either spreads out over a surface or forms into droplets — is crucial to a wide variety of processes. It influences, for example, how easily a car's windshield fogs up, and also affects the functioning of advanced batteries and fuel-cell systems. Until ...

MIT makes significant step toward lightweight batteries

Research shows metal catalysts play important role in improving efficiency

13-Apr-2010 - A team of researchers at MIT has made significant progress on a technology that could lead to batteries with up to three times the energy density of any battery that currently exists. Yang Shao-Horn, an MIT associate professor of mechanical engineering and materials science and engineering, says ...

MIT scientists transform polyethylene into a heat-conducting material

Conducts heat just as well as most metals, yet remains an electrical insulator

09-Mar-2010 - Most polymers - materials made of long, chain-like molecules - are very good insulators for both heat and electricity. But an MIT team has found a way to transform the most widely used polymer, polyethylene, into a material that conducts heat just as well as most metals, yet remains an electrical ...

Unusual snail shell could be a model for better armor

Unique structure helps dissipate energy that would cause weaker shells to fracture

21-Jan-2010 - New insights about a tiny snail that lives on the ocean floor could help scientists design better armor for soldiers and vehicles, according to MIT researchers. A team of materials scientists, led by MIT Associate Professor Christine Ortiz, report that the shell of the so-called "scaly-foot" ...

A greener way to get electricity from natural gas

System uses solid-oxide fuel cells to produce power without emitting greenhouse gases

07-Dec-2009 - A new type of natural-gas electric power plant proposed by MIT researchers could provide electricity with zero carbon dioxide emissions to the atmosphere, at costs comparable to or less than conventional natural-gas plants, and even to coal-burning plants. But that can only come about if and when ...

Predicting the fate of underground carbon

25-Nov-2009 - A team of researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology has developed a new modeling methodology for determining the capacity and assessing the risks of leakage of potential underground carbon-dioxide reservoirs. One strategy for mitigating greenhouse gases is to inject compressed ...