What new materials are there?

Superconductivity….via light?
https://phys.org/news/2026-02-superconductivity-built-confining-cavity.htmlhttps://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-025-10062-6
Dome
https://phys.org/news/2026-03-superconducting-dome-hints-high-temperature.htmlhttps://phys.org/news/2026-03-room-temperature-superconductor-scientists-agenda.htmlhttps://phys.org/news/2026-03-2d-topological-kondo-insulator-moir.html
Massless waves
https://phys.org/news/2026-03-magnetic-graphene-equations-massless-electron.htmlhttps://journals.aps.org/prx/abstract/10.1103/t7tm-nxyl
Negative light?
https://techxplore.com/news/2026-03-negative-technology-plain-sight.html
Good to the last dollop
https://phys.org/news/2026-03-liquid-kitchen-physicists.htmlhttps://pubs.aip.org/aip/pof/articl...m-flow-in-the-kitchen?redirectedFrom=fulltext
Hydrogen catalyst
https://phys.org/news/2026-03-semiconductor-electrodes-green-hydrogen-production.htmlhttps://phys.org/news/2026-04-hydrogen-production-photocatalytic-cocatalyst.html

New isomer
https://phys.org/news/2026-03-physicists-rare-nuclear-isomer-ytterbium.html
chemistry caught
https://phys.org/news/2026-03-chemical-shifts-track-molecules-real.htmlhttps://phys.org/news/2026-03-hybrid-synthetic-strategy-previously-unattainable.htmlhttps://phys.org/news/2026-03-3d-imaging-reveals-messy-supraparticles.htmlhttps://phys.org/news/2026-03-titanium-complexes-core-skeleton-highly.html
Polymers
https://phys.org/news/2026-03-moisture-powered-polymers-air-efficient.html
Yarns
https://phys.org/news/2026-03-heavy-energy-potential-carbon-nanotube.html
Plastics for heat transfer
https://techxplore.com/news/2026-03-high-plastic-exchanger-rivals-traditional.html
Encrusted
https://phys.org/news/2026-03-nasa-extreme-star-collision.html
Nanocube
https://phys.org/news/2026-03-nanocube-cation-exchange.html
scans
https://phys.org/news/2026-03-rays-optical-track-speedy-electrons.html
links
https://thedebrief.org/learning-giv...hat-learn-change-shape-and-move-on-their-own/
glass
https://phys.org/news/2026-03-upcycles-glass-sic-nanowires-seconds.htmlhttps://phys.org/news/2026-03-scientists-unveil-universal-aging-mechanism.html
Coating for space solar
https://www.nanowerk.com/spotlight/spotid=68849.php
 
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Materials database
https://phys.org/news/2026-03-comprehensive-digital-materials-ecosystem-sanity.htmlTo create an efficient materials design workflow, a team of researchers at Tohoku University is suggesting not just one tool—but a whole toolbox that works together as a cohesive kit. The work is published in the journal Chemical Science.

This comprehensive system is called a "digital materials ecosystem" because it integrates multiple processes together instead of treating them as disconnected steps. For example, the ecosystem is capable of not only predicting how certain materials will react, but also orchestrating multi-step scientific workflows including searching for evidence, screening candidates, and deciding what to test next.

"The ecosystem frames materials discovery as a closed-loop, self-improving system," explains Distinguished Professor Hao Li (Advanced Institute for Materials Research (WPI-AIMR)).


https://phys.org/news/2026-03-cloud-ready-simulation-framework-enables.htmlResearchers at the Center for Computational Sciences, University of Tsukuba, have developed an accessible platform to overcome the limitations of conventional static docking simulations, offering new avenues for education, training, and reproducible research in molecular recognition and supramolecular chemistry. Their Distance-Guided Fully Dynamic Docking (DFDD) platform is a cloud-ready simulation framework that enables students and researchers to explore dynamic docking, visualize molecular binding in motion, and understand how host-guest crystal structures emerge from molecular interactions.

Chemical unicorn
https://phys.org/news/2026-03-scientists-molecule-believed-oxidation.htmlIn the journal Science Advances, scientists in Sweden and the U.S. report the first-ever direct observation of a type of short-lived molecule that has shaped decades of thinking in atmospheric chemistry, combustion research and biomedical science. "This compound is the equivalent of the Higgs boson for oxidation chemistry," says Barbara Nozière, professor of physical chemistry at KTH Royal Institute of Technology. "Its existence was assumed for decades but nobody had ever seen it."

Stronger hydrogels?
https://phys.org/news/2026-03-common-hydrogel-built-differently-assumed.htmlA study led by Northwestern University researchers has reported a way to observe hydrogel nano and microstructure while the hydrogel remains fully solvated....The material is orders of magnitude more rigid than previously believed, and theoretical models can be used together with this new information to better predict its mechanical behavior. Northwestern University Ph.D. candidate Nathan Rosenmann was first author on the paper, which was published in Nature Materials on March 11, 2026.

Metal
https://phys.org/news/2026-03-room-temperature-dimensional-multiferroic-metal.htmlNow, however, researchers from the Institute of Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, along with their collaborators from Zhejiang University, have realized electric-field control of magnetic states using a two-dimensional (2D) van der Waals material, while demonstrating intrinsic room-temperature (RT) multiferroicity with strong ME coupling.

The study is published in the journal
Nature Materials.

LEDs
https://phys.org/news/2026-03-invisible-electric-fields-device-luminescence.htmlLight-emitting electrochemical cells (LECs) are simple, flexible, and low-cost thin-film devices that generate light from an electric current. Unlike conventional organic LEDs, LECs contain just a single active layer—an organic semiconductor blended with mobile ions—sandwiched between two electrodes. This structural simplicity makes them promising tools for next-generation light-emitting technologies.

Bacterial electricity
https://phys.org/news/2026-03-bacteria-generate-electricity-shellfish-based.htmlRice University researcher Rafael Verduzco developed a safe bioelectronic sensor that allows for effective electronic communication even in liquid environments. The study was recently published in the journal Advanced Materials.

Photocatylist
https://phys.org/news/2026-03-guesswork-guidance-machine-dopant-photocatalysts.htmlMLIP calculations successfully identify suitable dopants for a novel photocatalytic material, report researchers from the Institute of Science Tokyo. As demonstrated in their study, published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society, a materials informatics approach could predict which ions can be stably introduced into orthorhombic Sn3O4, a promising and recently discovered photocatalytic tin oxide.

Early textiles
https://phys.org/news/2026-03-archaeologists-untangle-bronze-age-textiles.html
New sensor
https://techxplore.com/news/2026-03-battery-device-indoor-solar-cell.html
Graphing
https://techxplore.com/news/2026-03-shortest-paths-narrows-year-gap.html
https://www.livescience.com/physics...nal-diamond-thats-harder-than-natural-diamond
Glass

Tough composite
https://www.ecoticias.com/en/engine...s-cars-and-wind-turbines-for-centuries/30800/https://techxplore.com/news/2026-04-microwave-energy-fuel-graphene-faster.html
 
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New paint
https://phys.org/news/2026-03-carbon-nanotube-black-absorbs-terahertz.html
Graphene coating
https://phys.org/news/2026-03-laser-graphene-enables-molecule-thick.htmlhttps://phys.org/news/2026-03-nanometer-layer-uio-mof-nanosheet.html
Scales
https://phys.org/news/2026-03-python-scales-host-microstructures-block.html
Fabrics
https://phys.org/news/2026-03-fabric-detergent.htmlhttps://techxplore.com/news/2026-03-coating-fabrics-superhydrophobic-tens-thousands.html
Plastics
https://phys.org/news/2026-03-generative-ai-polymer-lab-dielectric.htmlhttps://phys.org/news/2026-03-recycling-method-pet-high-quality.htmlhttps://phys.org/news/2026-03-bio-based-polymer-sustainable-solution.htmlhttps://phys.org/news/2026-03-celluloid-story-plastic-hollywood.html
For imaging
https://phys.org/news/2026-03-fluorescent-dye-superacidic-conditions-possibilities.html
Light/matter interactions
https://phys.org/news/2026-03-material-approach-carbon-dioxide-conversion.htmlhttps://phys.org/news/2026-03-scientists-state-room-temperature-nanostructures.htmlhttps://phys.org/news/2026-03-ai-rebuilds-molecules-fragments.htmlhttps://phys.org/news/2026-03-gravitational-imprints-emitted-atoms-theoretical.html
Projections
https://techxplore.com/news/2026-03-shadowless-images-indistinguishable.htmlhttps://techxplore.com/news/2026-03-method-blocks-ambient-images-sharp.htmlhttps://techxplore.com/news/2026-03-high-res-imagery-everyday-items.html
See through containers, metals
https://techxplore.com/news/2026-03-generative-ai-wireless-vision-obstructions.htmlhttps://phys.org/news/2026-03-metals-transparent-key-mechanism-touchscreen.html
Touchscreens
https://techxplore.com/news/2026-03-nanoscale-hotspots-oleds-shorten-lifespans.html
Natural fibers last longer than expected
https://phys.org/news/2026-03-natural-textile-fibers-persist-century.html
Other wearables
https://techxplore.com/news/2026-03-wearable-thermoelectric-technology-thin-generate.html
Acoustic metamaterials to bridge the air/water interface:
https://techxplore.com/news/2026-03-acoustic-metamaterial-complex-air.html
Sound waves for stiffness
https://www.nanowerk.com/nanotechnology-news3/newsid=68928.php
Chemistry advance
https://phys.org/news/2026-03-ai-high-dipole-moments-unexpected.html
Magnets
https://techxplore.com/news/2026-03-magnets-random-snapping-soft-metamaterials.htmlhttps://phys.org/news/2026-03-exotic-physics-formation-mechanism-skyrmions.html
CO2 eater
https://www.nanowerk.com/news2/biotech/newsid=68956.phphttps://phys.org/news/2026-03-synthesis-amino-acids-carbon-efficiency.htmlhttps://techxplore.com/news/2026-03-efficient-carbon-capture-viciazite-materials.html
De-icing
https://www.nanowerk.com/spotlight/spotid=68959.php
For electronics
https://www.nanowerk.com/nanotechnology-news3/newsid=68949.phphttps://phys.org/news/2026-03-2d-electronics-anisotropic-contact-resistance.htmlhttps://phys.org/news/2026-03-disorder-mechanism-amplifies-transverse-electron.html
Fabric coating
https://www.nanowerk.com/news2/green/newsid=68950.phphttps://phys.org/news/2026-03-plastic-fusion-enzyme-polyester-textile.html
Glue
https://phys.org/news/2026-03-mussel-recycled-plastics-detached-reused.html
Superconductivity
https://phys.org/news/2026-03-programmable-superconducting-diode.htmlhttps://www.tomshardware.com/tech-i...still-140-degrees-off-room-temperature-targethttps://phys.org/news/2026-03-window-superconductivity-reimagining-classic-tool.htmlhttps://phys.org/news/2026-03-spinel-crystal-unusual-pressure-superconductivity.html
Stacked dyes for luminous display
https://phys.org/news/2026-03-sudden-surge-luminosity-stacked-dyes.html
New antenna
https://phys.org/news/2026-03-hall-rectenna-ghz-frequency-range.htmlhttps://techxplore.com/news/2026-03-graphene-energy-efficient-6g-hardware.html
Telecom
https://techxplore.com/news/2026-03-ocean-dead-zones-skies.htmlhttps://phys.org/news/2026-03-laschamps-geomagnetic-excursion-today-aviation.html
Watch that carbon fiber!
https://phys.org/news/2026-03-link-carbon-fiber-weakening-aircraft.html
Sewing wood?
https://techxplore.com/news/2026-03-wood-needle-thread.html
Boron
https://phys.org/news/2026-03-catalyst-free-boron-arenes.html
Chaos in a bottle
https://phys.org/news/2026-03-chaos-layered-material-disorder-coexist.htmlhttps://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-026-69359-3

Critical point in water
https://phys.org/news/2026-03-ray-lasers-enable-discovery-critical.htmlhttps://phys.org/news/2026-03-particle-illuminate-physics.html
 
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Liquids can fracture
https://phys.org/news/2026-03-liquids-fracture-solids.html
New aerogel
https://phys.org/news/2026-04-microporous-aerogel-van-der-waals.html
Impact paint
https://techxplore.com/news/2026-04-revealing-strength-impact.html
Alloys
https://techxplore.com/news/2026-04-crystallization-additively-finemet-alloys.html
Defect detection
https://techxplore.com/news/2026-03-ai-based-atomic-defects-materials.htmlhttps://phys.org/news/2026-04-ai-electron-microscopy-materials-insights.html
New carbon designs
https://phys.org/news/2026-03-ai-driven-framework-uncovers-carbon.html
In 2024, a team of UK researchers unveiled CrystaLLM: a Large Language Model (LLM) that can model crystal structures using text.
With this approach, the researchers discovered several allotropes with combinations of exotic properties that have never previously been observed. Among them is a superhard phase with a calculated hardness exceeding even that of diamond. Its dense sp3-dominant network makes it a potentially groundbreaking material for applications demanding extreme hardness.

On top of this already remarkable discovery, the team discovered a material whose thermal conductivity varies depending on the direction of heat flow, combined with an ultra-low shear stiffness—allowing different regions of the carbon lattice to reorient relative to each other when a shear force is applied.

"We also discovered an sp-sp2-sp3 hybridized phase of C12 phase containing 12 carbon atoms per unit cell, which uniquely combines metallic conductivity with a negative Poisson's ratio," Gao says. The latter property describes how the material counterintuitively expands in a direction perpendicular to the direction in which it is being stretched.

"Electronic structure calculations further show that certain yne-diamond phases are narrow-bandgap semiconductors suitable for infrared or thermoelectric applications."


Nanodiamonds
https://phys.org/news/2026-03-nanodiamonds-carbon-materials-ai-exascale.html
Domain walls
https://phys.org/news/2026-03-synthetic-domain-wall-2d-material.html
Corrugation
https://phys.org/news/2026-03-soda-cans-mathematics-corrugation-formation.html
Rubber improvements

Paper hornification
https://phys.org/news/2026-04-insights-hornification-future-paper-production.html
Glass

Light handling
https://phys.org/news/2026-04-helical-liquid-crystals-flip-chirality.htmlhttps://phys.org/news/2026-04-phosphor-encode.html
On X-rays
https://phys.org/news/2026-04-hidden-features-rays-radically.html
 
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New metamaterial:
https://phys.org/news/2026-04-metamaterial-chains-hinge.html
Old--wood
https://www.nanowerk.com/spotlight/spotid=69131.phphttps://techxplore.com/news/2026-04-concrete-shrimp-sustainable.htmlhttps://techxplore.com/news/2026-04-bridges-roadways-threatened-weather-patterns.html
Sensors
https://phys.org/news/2026-04-carbon-nanotube-fiber-sensors-error.html
Nanoframe
https://phys.org/news/2026-03-ultrafast-microscopy-metallic-nanoframe-behavior.html
Cracking
https://phys.org/news/2026-03-ai-quasi-atoms-approach-materials.htmlUnderstanding how a crack grows in metal requires simultaneously calculating the behavior of hundreds of billions of atoms: At the crack tip, where atomic bonds break, and in the surrounding volume of material, where the stress, driving the crack propagation, is distributed. For modern supercomputers, an accurate modeling of this process remains beyond reach. Researchers from the Skoltech Artificial Intelligence Center have proposed a solution, now published in the journal Computer Physics Communications.

Turbine material

Amber
https://phys.org/news/2026-04-dal-sublime-amber-medium-unusual.html
Thermoelectrics and chargers
https://techxplore.com/news/2026-04-cheaper-thermoelectrics-silver-selenide-approaches.htmlhttps://techxplore.com/news/2026-04-limits-chargers-airlines.html
Polymers
https://phys.org/news/2026-04-driven-method-enables-sustainable-production.htmlhttps://phys.org/news/2026-04-plastic-bags-gasoline-molten-salts.html
Impact resistance via gossamer wings
https://techxplore.com/news/2026-04-bio-impact-resistance-energy-absorption.htmlhttps://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0020740326001542?via=ihub
Oxygen find
https://phys.org/news/2026-04-scientists-block-metals-yield-oxygen.htmlIn a publication in the Journal of the American Chemical Society, Hernández Sánchez and his team describe a way to enable pi interactions between dioxygen and a lanthanide metal called neodymium, enabling the creation of lanthanide-oxos.

Surfaces
https://phys.org/news/2026-04-universal-surface-growth-law-dimensions.html
a Würzburg-based research team from the Cluster of Excellence ctd.qmat has achieved the first experimental demonstration of KPZ behavior on 2D surfaces in space and time.

This was made possible by sophisticated materials engineering and a bold experimental approach: researchers injected polaritons—hybrid particles composed of light and matter—into the material. The results have been published in Science.

The question of how surfaces grow is one of the most fundamental problems in physics. In 1986, three physicists laid the foundation for a universal theory of growth with the Kardar–Parisi–Zhang (KPZ) equation—a framework with wide-ranging applications across physics, mathematics, biology, and computer science.


https://arstechnica.com/science/2026/04/oobleck-still-holds-some-surprises/https://phys.org/news/2026-04-droplet-impacts-reveal-physics-thickening.htmlhttps://phys.org/news/2026-04-flux-pathway-reveals-mussel-liquid.html
Vault of dreams
https://techxplore.com/news/2026-04-fireproof-vault-housing-movie-history.html
 
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New Scientist profile on John Pendry, the father of the metamaterial invisibility cloak.

https://www.newscientist.com/articl...-inventor-now-has-better-tricks-up-his-sleeve
It's paywalled but if you hit reload and then stop quick enough you might get it. Of course you could subscribe.

Titbits:

Decades earlier, in the 1960s, Veselago had imagined materials that would refract light in reverse, causing a simple slab to focus rather than disperse light. It was long assumed to be impossible, but Pendry worked out how to coax light into obeying the strange mathematical rules that Veselago had sketched out.

...

In fact, metamaterials appear to be finally taking off. Many have reached commercial maturity, with some of the most striking advances appearing in so-called metalenses. Rather than bending light through curved glass, metalenses shape light directly using surfaces patterned with dense forests of nanoscale structures, each acting like a tiny antenna. The result is a paper-thin lens, just micrometres thick, that can outperform traditional optics. Instead of stacking heavy glass elements inside a camera, a single flat layer can do the job. “One application is to put them in these drones,” says Pendry. “You can have tiny, tiny drones that still have very, very good optics, because they have these extremely light lenses.” Smartphones and virtual-reality headsets can also now carry high-performance optical systems without the usual weight penalty.

...

Myhrvold thinks metamaterials could change that, and he is developing lidar systems that steer laser beams electronically, with no moving parts at all.

...

Some years ago, Pendry began to wonder if there could be such a thing as temporal metamaterials, which would control how light moves in time, too... The upshot of this is that a temporal metamaterial can inject energy into a wave, or drain it away, shifting its frequency. Red light becomes blue. Microwaves become infrared. They are a kind of philosopher’s stone that can transmute one type of electromagnetic wave into another.

...

In 2023, Pendry calculated what would happen if you built a material whose internal pattern shifts in time so that it appears to move at almost the speed of light. Under those conditions, the mathematics produces points that light cannot cross – in other words, an analogue of a black hole’s event horizon. He says that an experimental realisation of his ideas could provide a new way to study black holes in a lab.

...

...Casimir effect. Place two metal plates a few nanometres apart in a vacuum and, counterintuitively, they will be pushed together. The effect arises thanks to the fluctuations of quantum fields in a vacuum. But Pendry has pointed out that changing a material’s electromagnetic properties in time may produce a dynamic version of the same phenomenon, where this subtle pressure can be dialled up to produce a never-before-seen quantum analogue of friction.
 
Plasma coatings
https://phys.org/news/2026-04-plasma-spray-technique-tungstencopper-coatings.htmlEngineers have developed a new high-performance tungsten–copper metallic coating in one step using plasma spray, for future high heat flux (HHF) plasma facing components (PFC), specifically in the divertor target plate. The work is published in the journal Surface and Coatings Technology....o overcome this, the Nottingham research team engineered a functionally graded coating in which the composition gradually transitioned from copper-rich at the base to tungsten-rich at the surface. Rather than stacking distinct layers, the material changes smoothly across its thickness, reducing stress and improving bonding.

The team successfully produced a coating graded continuously from 0% to 100% weight percent tungsten, achieving a dense and structurally stable material.


Carbon nanotubes
https://phys.org/news/2026-04-carbon-nanotubes-gap-copper.html
In a paper published in the journal Science, researchers describe a method for adding a chemical to carbon nanotube bundles that brings them closer to copper's ability to conduct electricity..."These fibers are five times stronger and half the weight of conventional overhead cables while remaining stable in dry conditions," noted the study authors in their paper. "Specific conductivity values reach 17,345 Siemens-meter squared per kilogram, which is superior to that of metals."

Graphite
https://phys.org/news/2026-04-room-temperature-vibrations-industry-graphene.html
Chemistry
https://phys.org/news/2026-04-machine-catalyst-sweet-greener-urea.htmlhttps://phys.org/news/2026-04-natural-language-ai-chemists-molecules.html
 
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Odd behavior
https://phys.org/news/2026-04-nanometers-thick-metal-physicists.htmlhttps://www.nanowerk.com/nanotechnology-news3/newsid=69258.php


Magnet with weak fields
https://phys.org/news/2026-04-magnet-external-field-reshape-future.htmlhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samarium?wprov=rarw1

https://phys.org/news/2026-04-swipe-magnet-microscopic-magno-bots.html
https://phys.org/news/2026-04-mobile-microgrippers-cells.html

Glassy liquids
https://phys.org/news/2026-04-microscopic-sensors-uncover-liquids-glassy.html


Heat harvesting
https://phys.org/news/2026-04-ai-slashes-harvesting-devices.html

Superconductivity
https://phys.org/news/2026-04-fragile-nickelates-superconductivity.html
Nanotech
https://www.nanowerk.com/nanotechnology-news3/newsid=69258.php

Spintronics
https://phys.org/news/2026-04-machine-faster-reliable-analysis-fermi.html

Active materials
https://phys.org/news/2026-04-response-materials.html

Cleaning PFAS
https://phys.org/news/2026-04-specially-material-combines-electricity-pfas.html

Polymers
https://phys.org/news/2026-04-evolving-polymer-recreates-nature-signature.html
https://phys.org/news/2026-04-polymers-proven-effective-gene-delivery.html
https://phys.org/news/2026-05-polymer-bristles-repel-proteins-germs.html

Dust
https://phys.org/news/2026-04-airborne-climate-analysis.html
Electronics
https://phys.org/news/2026-04-defect-chalcopyrite-thermoelectrics.html
https://phys.org/news/2026-04-superconducting-quantum-circuit-simulates-proton.html


Earplugs and soft materials
https://techxplore.com/news/2026-04-meta-earplugs-booming-voice-effect.html
https://phys.org/news/2026-04-responsive-hydrogels-enable-fast-precise.html

Coffee
https://sciencex.com/news/2026-04-electrochemistry-captures-coffee-powering-cup.html
Acoustics
https://www.nanowerk.com/nanotechnology-news3/newsid=69281.php


Bounce
https://phys.org/news/2026-04-high-particles-higher-collisions.html

glass
https://phys.org/news/2026-05-scientists-generation-glass.html
https://phys.org/news/2026-04-scientists-leverage-ai-optimize-glass.html
https://phys.org/news/2026-04-disordered-heart-glass.html
https://techxplore.com/news/2026-04-meta-earplugs-booming-voice-effect.html
https://sciencex.com/news/2026-04-centuries-dazzling-roman-bowls-misread.html
https://phys.org/news/2026-04-olympic-gels-theorized-class-dna.html


Carbon fiber advance
https://techxplore.com/news/2026-04-ultralight-carbon-fiber-lattices-aluminum.html
https://www.nanowerk.com/nanotechnology-news3/newsid=69274.php
https://www.nanowerk.com/nanotechnology-news3/newsid=69261.php
https://phys.org/news/2026-04-conquering-frontiers-nanographene-synthetic-methodologies.html


Film
https://www.nanowerk.com/spotlight/spotid=69308.php

Growth
https://www.nanowerk.com/nanotechnology-news3/newsid=69310.php

Shielding
https://www.nanowerk.com/nanotechnology-news3/newsid=69264.php
https://www.nanowerk.com/spotlight/spotid=69301.php

Reactor
https://techxplore.com/news/2026-04-human-ai-advanced-reactor.html
https://phys.org/news/2026-04-opinions-maximally-insights.html

for solar
https://techxplore.com/news/2026-04-lamination-stable-production-large-area.html

Hydrogen
https://phys.org/news/2026-04-frozen-dry-ice-hydrogen-reveals.html
https://techxplore.com/news/2026-04-green-hydrogen-sun.html
 
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New cement
https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-oyster-cement-scientists-shellfish-stronger.html

Ferrocene
https://phys.org/news/2026-05-carbon-free-ferrocene-alternative-possibilities.html

Pipe failure
https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-explores-hidden-science-pipe-failure.html

Hardness for solar
https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-chemical-hardness-boosts-perovskite-tandem.html
https://phys.org/news/2026-04-scientists-leverage-ai-optimize-glass.html
https://phys.org/news/2026-05-scientists-generation-glass.html
https://phys.org/news/2026-05-solar-2d-heterostructure-responsivity-gain.html
https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-scientists-materials.html
https://phys.org/news/2026-05-chemistry-aware-ai-generate-millions.html

Photonics
https://phys.org/news/2026-05-photonics-advance-enable-compact-high.html
https://phys.org/news/2026-05-hologram-technology-key-enables-hard.html
https://phys.org/news/2026-04-team-modulator-compact-photonic-circuits.html
https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-optical-ai-recovers-distorted-telecom.html
https://phys.org/news/2026-05-nanoscale-channels-hybrid-lightvibration-efficiently.html

Graphene
https://phys.org/news/2026-04-conquering-frontiers-nanographene-synthetic-methodologies.html

Tape
https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-cassette-tapes-adhesive-tape-memory.html

Plastics
https://phys.org/news/2026-05-bottles-battery-acid-production-valuable.html

More
https://phys.org/news/2026-05-electric-layer-molecular-battery-hydrogen.html
https://phys.org/news/2026-05-atoms-reactors-approach-sharpen-catalyst.html
https://phys.org/news/2026-05-room-temperature-nanoscale-molecular-electronics.html
https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-focused-helium-ions-ferroelectric-regions.html
https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-fiber-optic-sensor-strain-electrical.html
https://phys.org/news/2026-05-complexity-isnt-subjective-amount-results.html
https://phys.org/news/2026-05-macrocyclic-host-molecules-surface.html
https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-origami-pattern-flat-sheets-3d.html
https://phys.org/news/2026-05-gold-glitter-uncover-resists-tarnish.html
https://phys.org/news/2026-05-plasma-treatment-fresher-weeks-chemicals.html


For wiring
https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-copper-biggest-rival-carbon-nanotube.html

On glass
View: https://m.youtube.com/shorts/244Y58QmsYE
 
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Antenna tech
https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-rooftop-antenna-panels-faster-smarter.html
https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-mosquito-antennae-power-acoustic-sensor.html

Silk for optics
https://phys.org/news/2026-05-silk-strong-plastic-materials-6g.html
https://phys.org/news/2026-05-recyclable-protein-textiles-microplastic-pollution.html

Silk to plastic?
https://phys.org/news/2026-05-spider-silk-corn-protein-tougher.html

On polymers
https://phys.org/news/2026-05-looped-polymers-stronger-faster-molecular.html
https://phys.org/news/2026-05-hidden-proton-pathways-emerge-ultrathin.html

Composites
https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-soft-layers-boost-strength-toughness.html

Graphene
https://phys.org/news/2026-05-machine-graphene-hydrophobic.html

Gel
https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-solar-powered-gel-air.html
https://phys.org/news/2026-05-everyday-sweetener-powerful-transparent-stretchable.html

Chiral nanotubes and light
https://phys.org/news/2026-05-chiral-carbon-nanotube-giant-conversion.html

Ferrons and more
https://phys.org/news/2026-05-coherent-ferrons-polarization-potential-quantum.html
https://phys.org/news/2026-05-sustainable-electrosynthesis-enables-production-amines.html
https://phys.org/news/2026-05-electrified-route-epoxides-pollution-common.html

Cement
https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-electricity-cement-carbon-footprint.html
https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-basalt-key-greener-cheaper-cement.html

Magnesium foam
https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-ground-oyster-shells-ultra-magnesium.html

Kevlar
https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-multifunctional-kevlar-fabric-emi-de.html

On steel
https://hackaday.com/2026/05/18/how-to-make-steel-that-breathes/

C-H bonds
https://phys.org/news/2026-05-migrating-hard-bond-molecules.html

Boron molecules
https://phys.org/news/2026-05-metal-free-method-carborane-cancer.html

Earphones
https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-earphone-users-heartbeat-authentication.html

On complexity
https://phys.org/news/2026-05-complexity-isnt-subjective-amount-results.html
https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.aeb5134

Structures
https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-origami-pattern-flat-sheets-3d.html
 
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Tougher glass
https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-transparent-oxide-glass-tops-gpa.html
In this study, colorless, optically transparent oxide glass with a Young's modulus exceeding 130 GPa was successfully fabricated by melt-quenching. The resulting glass samples were larger than 3 mm thick and 60 mm in diameter, demonstrating that high-elastic-modulus glasses can be produced using scalable industrial techniques rather than specialized laser-based processes.

The findings are published in the Journal of the Ceramic Society of Japan.


https://phys.org/news/2026-05-evolution-glass-chaos.html
In a new study published in Matter, researchers from the Electronic and Quantum Magnetism Unit at the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST) have successfully monitored the evolution of spin organization in a well-ordered antiferromagnetic crystal as chemical disorder is gradually introduced.

https://phys.org/news/2026-05-molecular-glasses-arrhenius-paradox.html
Researchers at University of Silesia and the Naval Research Laboratory in Washington, DC, have gathered new evidence that could explain this well-documented inconsistency of the Arrhenius model.

https://techxplore.com/news/2026-06-qa-glass-scintillators-nuclear.html
The U-M team, along with a collaborator at Sandia National Laboratories, synthesized recent findings in a paper published in Radiation Measurements. Below, Pozzi shares her knowledge of the advantages, drawbacks, and applications of organic glass scintillators.

alloy help
https://phys.org/news/2026-06-strategy-phase-diagram-nickel-cobalt.html
Researchers at IMDEA Materials Institute have developed a new hybrid methodology that combines quantum mechanics and thermodynamic calculations to predict the phase diagram of nickel-cobalt alloys.
Published in Acta Materialia, this approach overcomes the limitations of traditional methods, particularly at low temperatures, without the need for experimental data.

Nickel-cobalt (Ni-Co) alloys are essential in high-tech sectors such as energy generation and the aerospace industry due to their exceptional resistance to high temperatures and corrosion.


Metal not so regular
https://phys.org/news/2026-06-aluminum-oxide-irregular-atomic-surface.html
Only tiny regions of the surface consist of the ordered aluminum atoms previously expected to cover the entire surface. After just a few nanometers, this regular structure breaks down and the surface becomes rough, with local height variations spanning several atomic layers.

nanotubes
https://phys.org/news/2026-06-ultrathin-nanotubes-nanometer-path-smaller.html
Researchers in Japan have created some of the world's smallest semiconducting nanotubes, structures 100,000 times thinner than a human hair. By growing molybdenum disulfide inside protective tubes of boron nitride, the researchers, including those from the University of Tokyo, produced highly uniform tubes just 1 nanometer wide, a scale at which it's difficult to make stable nanotube structures. The work confirms decades-old theoretical predictions about how these ultrafine materials behave and could also provide a new route toward miniaturized electronic devices.

Water tweezers
https://phys.org/news/2026-06-tweezers-tiny-surfers.html
"Our study shows how beaming water waves at a floating object can cause it to move sideways or be 'tweezed' and held precisely in place," explains Leif Ristroph, a professor at New York University's Courant Institute School of Mathematics, Computing, and Data Science and the senior author of the study, which appears in the journal Physical Review Fluids. "These surprising effects could be used to manipulate particles and structures, controlling their motions and positions."

Glow
https://phys.org/news/2026-06-asymmetric-alloying-generation-luminescent-materials.html
The study has been published in Nature Communications.

"Through asymmetric synthesis, we have created a carbon-centered gold(I)-silver(I) chiral bicapped square antiprism polyhedral cluster. This approach also enables enantioselective structural control," explains Prof. Shionoya.

"Moreover, the obtained clusters exhibit phosphorescence and distinct chirality-dependent properties that are important for chiral sensing applications."
***********************************************************************************************************************

Tough plastic
https://phys.org/news/2026-06-common-plastics-ballistic-impacts-linking.html
With help from a novel cross-linking molecule, MIT chemists have shown they can substantially improve the ballistic impact resistance of common polymers, including polystyrene and a type of rubber used to make shoe soles.

Control
https://phys.org/news/2026-06-precise-polymer-uncover-hidden-slack.html
For decades, these unpredictable molecular twists and knots have made it difficult for scientists to control, map, or customize the behavior of the final material.

A research team led by Professor Yufeng Wang and Professor Ho Yu Au-Yeung from the Department of Chemistry at The University of Hong Kong (HKU) has achieved a breakthrough to address this challenge.

By using discrete molecular rings as precise structural models of polymer knots, the team untangled the complex relationship between molecular architecture and material properties, allowing them to correlate characteristics such as stiffness, strength, and elasticity with the specific structures and topologies of the molecular rings.

Their findings were published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society
.

Alternative
https://techxplore.com/news/2026-06-tough-everyday-products-powered-advance.html
A pioneering technology capable of converting lignin, one of the world's most abundant organic compounds, into vanillin and biodegradable materials has been unveiled by the University of Alicante (UA), in collaboration with the Polytechnic University of Valencia (UPV). The study, published in Nature Communications, offers a sustainable method for repurposing plant waste and identifies viable alternatives to the fossil fuels that currently drive the chemical industry.

Re-use
https://phys.org/news/2026-06-cleaner-recycling-method-reusable-plastics.html
Scientists from Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) have developed a new method to recycle mixed plastic packaging without using harmful chemical solvents—an approach that could make one of the world's most difficult waste streams significantly easier to handle. The research team from NTU Singapore's School of Materials Science and Engineering and Nanyang Environment and Water Research Institute (NEWRI) has introduced a process called depolymerization-induced polymer separation, or DIPS. The method selectively breaks down one type of plastic in mixed plastic packaging while leaving the other plastics intact, allowing each material to be recovered and reused. The study is published in Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research.

More
https://phys.org/news/2026-06-strain-moir-2d-materials-stacking.html
https://phys.org/news/2026-06-dirty-farm-plastic-cleaner-mulch.html
https://phys.org/news/2026-06-microbes-biodiesel-byproduct-nylon-blocks.html
https://phys.org/news/2026-06-home-recycling-higher-quality-plastic.html
https://phys.org/news/2026-06-climate-neutral-plastics-cosmetics-bacteria.html
https://phys.org/news/2026-06-strategy-conjugated-panels-square-molecules.html
 
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Anti-fouling
https://phys.org/news/2026-06-copper-high-rivals-silicone-fouling.html

Steelmaking
https://phys.org/news/2026-06-hydrogen-based-steelmaking-2x-boost.html

Metal
https://phys.org/news/2026-06-physicists-upper-limit-resistivity-pure.html

Thin but strong
https://phys.org/news/2026-06-scaling-law-ultrathin-materials-stronger.html

Trace gas detection and atomics
https://techxplore.com/news/2026-06-fast-reliable-gases-resonant-photoacoustics.html
https://techxplore.com/news/2026-06-fast-tracking-efficiency-reactor-fuels.html

Carbon nanotubes
https://phys.org/news/2026-06-ironscandium-catalyst-carbon-nanotube-growth.html
https://phys.org/news/2026-06-chemical-impurities-carbon-surfaces-superslippery.html
https://phys.org/news/2026-06-visualizing-band-nanostructures-theory-imperfect.html

Oxidation breakthrough
https://phys.org/news/2026-06-carbon-dioxide-safer-oxidation-chemistry.html

Nuclear clock
https://phys.org/news/2026-06-nuclear-clocks.html

Build robust
https://phys.org/news/2026-06-robust-materials-ease-critical-mineral.html

Thin Film
https://phys.org/news/2026-06-van-der-waals-play-unexpected.html

Ash use
https://techxplore.com/news/2026-06-ashes-hidden-critical-elements-emerges.html
https://phys.org/news/2026-06-companies-bypass-deep-sea.html

Boron
https://phys.org/news/2026-06-atom-boron-buckyball-nanotechnology-spotlight.html

For radiation
https://phys.org/news/2026-06-janus-nanomaterials-pave-capturing-radioactive.html

Snap chemistry
https://phys.org/news/2026-06-chemists-snap-complex-3d-molecules.html
https://phys.org/news/2026-06-biopolymer-beads-fungus-bioinsecticide-shelf.html

Fullerene
https://phys.org/news/2026-06-newly-fullerene-material-metallic-temperatures.html

Cement
https://phys.org/news/2026-06-reveals-hidden-cement-chemistry-stronger.html

Material research
https://phys.org/news/2026-06-ai-fast-forwards-molecular-simulations.html

Leather
https://phys.org/news/2026-06-leather-bag-rex-cells-auctioned.html

Hidden knowledge
https://phys.org/news/2026-06-hidden-catalytic-knowledge-literature.html

Blue Mat
https://techxplore.com/news/2026-06-nanometer-channels-enable-safer-energy.html
https://techxplore.com/news/2026-06-based-material-solar-energy-power.html

Nylon
https://phys.org/news/2026-06-years-overlooked-material-poised-reshape.html

Glass
https://phys.org/news/2026-06-glassblowing-everyday-life-ancient-rome.html
https://phys.org/news/2026-06-random-deformation-glassy-materials-precise.html

Predictions
https://phys.org/news/2026-06-ai-materials-discovery-uncovering.html
 
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Free if you register.

https://www.newscientist.com/articl...o-metal-material-discovered-in-sea-worm-jaws/

Paywalled:

https://pubs.aip.org/aip/bpr/articl.../Bio-metals-Ancient-biological-materials-with

Marine bristle worms have jaws made from a mix of proteins and metal ions that may constitute a whole new kind of material, with possible applications in engineering

Christian Hellmich at TU Wien in Austria and his colleagues have been studying this worm’s jaws for almost a decade, leading them to propose that they are made of a novel material. The molecular structure of each jaw combines proteins and ions of metals such as zinc, giving it characteristics in between those of softer biological materials and metals.

“The jaws of bristle worms are incredibly hard yet very lightweight,” says Matthew Lehnert at Kent State University in Ohio. “Many industries, from automobiles to aeronautics, are searching for new ways to develop hard and lightweight materials. The answers are provided in nature!”
 

The New Arsenal: Biology, Manufacturing, and National Security​

https://www.avinc.com/2026/07/15/the-new-arsenal-biology-manufacturing-and-national-security/
As this facility has moved from concept to reality, its strategic importance has become increasingly clear. In a world where China dominates critical rare earth supply chains and has shown a willingness to use that position as geopolitical leverage, rebuilding domestic manufacturing capacity is no longer optional.
Biomanufacturing offers a fundamentally different way to produce the materials we need. We’ve used biology in production for a long time; brewing is one simple example. But we haven’t fully harnessed the power of precision fermentation: engineering microbes to produce exactly the molecules we want, at scale, and often more efficiently than traditional chemical processes can manage. As reactors get larger, the economics improve. The core challenge shifts to feeding and managing the bacteria, rather than wrestling with complex synthesis routes.
 

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