MIT Department of Materials Science and Engineering

New DMSE research may make it possible to produce tiny spectrometers that are just as accurate and powerful as full-size bench-top instruments but could be mass produced using standard chip-making processes. READ MORE

What’s New

Research Initiatives in Climate & Sustainability

The future depends on finding solutions to the enormous challenges facing the world, including pollution, water scarcity, greenhouse gases, climate change, and more. DMSE faculty, students and staff are working with researchers across MIT to address major issues of climate and sustainability.

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Controlling drug activity with light

In a new publication, a team co-led by Professor Polina Anikeeva and OHSU Research Assistant Professor James Frank introduces a microfiber technology to deliver and activate a drug that can be induced to bind its receptor by exposure to light. To use light to control drug activity, light and drugs must be delivered simultaneously to the targeted cells, which can be difficult when the target is deep in the body. Their work provides an integrated approach for on-demand delivery of light and drugs through a single fiber.

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Danielle Grey-Stewart named 2021 Rhodes Scholar

Danielle Grey-Stewart (DMSE '21) has been selected to be a 2021 Rhodes Scholar. As a Rhodes Scholar, she will pursue an MPhil in nature, society, and environmental governance at Oxford University’s School of Geography and the Environment. Grey-Stewart wants to become a leader in science policy with the goal of opening new avenues for fellow scientists of color.

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DMSE researchers use physics technology to develop rapid COVID-19 test

A team led by Professor Alfredo Alexander-Katz has adapted physics technology to create a rapid antigen COVID test that has been able to detect viral proteins quickly with high accuracy. The test provides a mechanical readout to assess the strength of biomolecular interactions, looking at friction to detect a sample's molecular interactions and confirm the presence of the virus in very small concentrations.

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Information about MIT's response to COVID-19

Informed by the Center for Disease Control (CDC) and the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, MIT is acting to keep our community safe and stop the spread of COVID-19. The health and safety of students, faculty, staff, and their families are of the utmost importance to all of us. MIT updates are posted at now.mit.edu. Spring semester move-in date for undergrads will be Feb. 13–15, and in-person instruction begins March 1. DMSE-specific information is linked below.

UPDATED - January 27

Spotlight

Accelerating oxygen surface exchange

Enhancing the oxygen exchange rate at the surface of oxides through rational design has long been a key goal of researchers pursuing sustainable energy solutions. Building on research co-authored by Professor Harry Tuller and Bilge Yildiz, DMSE alum Sossina M. Haile's simple infiltration method reveals that reaction rates on porous mixed-conducting oxides scale with the acidity of the infiltrate and can be tuned by orders of magnitude.

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Developing new ways to advance copper production

Copper and sulfur are two products of a new electrochemical process that the Allanore group has proposed, which converts natural sulfide minerals into liquid copper and elemental sulfur. Copper is the backbone of the electronic area we live in, and is predicted to support the deployment of sustainable power generation. Sulfur is an essential chemical element, source of power, acids or sulfates such as used in agriculture.

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