Spotlights: Tools

A new approach to engineering for extreme environments

An MIT materials scientist is developing nanocomposite materials that can endure extreme conditions such as radiation, high temperatures, and extreme mechanical loading for use in energy applications. His first target is radiation-resistant materials, which could improve the efficiency and safety of nuclear power plants. Posted 8 July 2009

Team takes first atomic-scale compositional images of fuel-cell nanoparticles

In a step toward developing better fuel cells for electric cars and more, engineers at MIT and two other institutions have taken the first images of individual atoms on and near the surface of nanoparticles key to the eco-friendly energy storage devices. Posted 29 October 2008

MIT engineers work toward cell-sized batteries

The energy for tomorrow's miniature electronic devices could come from tiny microbatteries about half the size of a human cell and built with viruses. MIT engineers have developed a way to at once create and install such microbatteries by stamping them onto a variety of surfaces. Posted 4 September 2008

Rechargeable batteries: nanoscale clues to higher power

A major challenge for experts working to develop better rechargeable batteries is finding a way to speed up the flow of electricity into and out of the battery. Recent research findings from MIT provide atomic-level insights into what limits that flow — and why fabricating electrodes from nanoscale particles eases the problem. Posted 28 November 2007

Nanotech + nuclear = more electricity

MIT researchers have a recipe for getting 20 percent more electricity out of today’s nuclear power plants. The key ingredient: a sprinkling of tiny particles added to the water that takes heat from the hot nuclear fuel to the power-generating equipment. Posted 5 April 2007

MIT math model could aid natural gas production

MIT engineers have developed a mathematical model that could help energy companies produce natural gas more efficiently and ensure a more reliable supply of this valuable fuel. Posted 11 January 2007

Acoustic data may reveal hidden gas, oil supplies

Just as doctors use ultrasound to image internal organs and unborn babies, MIT Earth Resources Laboratory researchers listen to the echoing language of rocks to map what's going on tens of thousands of feet below the Earth's surface. Posted 21 December 2006

Engineered yeast speeds ethanol production

MIT scientists have engineered yeast that can improve the speed and efficiency of ethanol production, a key component to making biofuels a significant part of the U.S. energy supply. Posted 7 December 2006

Saying goodbye to batteries

Researchers at MIT are developing a new device that has the potential to hold as much energy as a conventional battery but could be recharged in seconds rather than hours, would last almost indefinitely, and won't mind the cold. Posted 19 October 2006

Efficient photovoltaic power — without the sun

MIT researchers are devising an electricity-producing device that would let resting truck drivers run the lights and air conditioners inside their cabs without keeping their big rigs idling all night. The new device is a high-tech combination of a small flame and a power-generating solar cell. Posted 29 September 2006

Engine on a chip promises to best the battery

MIT researchers are putting a tiny gas-turbine engine inside a silicon chip about the size of a quarter. The resulting device could run 10 times longer than a battery of the same weight can, powering laptops, cell phones, radios, and other electronic devices. Posted 15 September 2006

Engineering viruses: using biology to assemble materials, devices

MIT Professor Angela Belcher of materials science and engineering and bioengineering has an army of specially trained workers who have built — molecule by molecule — a small, flexible rechargeable battery. Posted 11 August 2006

A recipe for solar energy: learning from nature

For the past 20 years, MIT Professor Daniel G. Nocera of chemistry has been working on a novel system for producing pollution-free energy in real time without adding fuel. Posted 9 June 2006