MIT Department of Materials Science and Engineering

Technologies developed in DMSE improve durability and performance of the connectors used in electronic devices.   Learn more

What’s New

Professor Rafael Gomez-Bombarelli and a grad student pose for a photo at MIT.

Designing zeolites, porous materials made to trap molecules

Rafael Gómez-Bombarelli and collaborators demonstrated a new approach to making porous materials called zeolites for specific uses, including cleaning up exhaust gases from trucks.

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Professor Harry Tuller and a grad student stand in Tuller's lab

Team IDs simple way to increase lifetimes of fuel cells

Devices made of solid-metal oxides are promising because they’re low-cost and efficient. But they degrade over time. Now, work by Harry Tuller’s lab solves that decades-old problem.  

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A figure showing snapshots of hypothetical movements photoswitches make when exposed to light

Scientists propose novel way to speed up light-activated drug discovery

Light can enable treatments for diabetes, cancer, and more. But finding the right molecules is tough and costly. A new study could be key in changing that. 

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A collage of Professors James LeBeau, Robert Macfarlane, and Cem Tasan

DMSE’s tenured engineers of 2022

James LeBeau, Robert Macfarlane, and Cem Tasan will give talks describing the long road to tenure at MIT.

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Three primary constituents of the battery are left, aluminum; center, sulfur; and right, rock salt crystals

A new concept for low-cost batteries

Made from inexpensive, abundant materials, an aluminum-sulfur battery could provide low-cost backup storage for renewable energy sources. 

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High school teachers make Frankensteel on the MIT campus.

Teachers make Frankensteel during Materials Camp at MIT

Experiments can be recreated in their high school labs.

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Professor Harry Tuller sits in his office at MIT.

Harry Tuller honored for career-advancing solid-state chemistry and electrochemistry

The materials scientist’s research involves the movement of electric charges through solids, which could lead to better-performing fuel cells and batteries. 

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Conference attendees have lunch under a large Earth model.

Large MIT presence at international conference on solid state ionics

Field involving movement of charged atoms through materials has many applications, from lithium batteries to environmental sensors.

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A philanthropist and founder of the K. Lisa Yang Brain-Body Center at MIT stands with Polina Anikeeva, a professor at MIT.

New research center focused on brain-body relationship

Polina Anikeeva will direct the K. Lisa Yang Brain-Body Center to investigate the brain’s complex link with other body systems.

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MIT Professor Donald Sadoway stands by a blackboard.

Sadoway wins European Inventor Award for liquid metal batteries

Work could enable long-term storage of renewable energy.

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2020 and 2021 MIT alumni pose at a celebration on campus in 2022.

2020 and 2021 DMSE grads return for ceremony and celebration

Their commencement exercises forced online because of the pandemic, alumni join their peers at MIT for in-person festivities. 

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Two MIT student work the bellows on a smelting furnace built in an ancient African style.

Ancient African smelting technique sparks anew at MIT

Building and working a clay-and-grass furnace, teachers and students learn more than how to turn ore into metal. 

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Buds in front of MIT's Great Dome

Materials science and engineering: Areas of impact

Materials research affects nearly every aspect of human life. In DMSE, researchers are working towards a cleaner environment, safer cars, faster communications, and more.

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Spotlight

Grad student Pablo Leon stands next to a sculpture on the MIT campus

Building better batteries, faster

PhD student Pablo Leon uses machine learning to expedite research on novel battery materials, while helping newer students navigate graduate school. 

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Student holds up a piece of "smart" fabric

Class brings together aesthetics and computation

Professor Yoel Fink’s 3.173 (Computing Fabrics) prepares students to make textiles smarter and more responsive.

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MIT facilities manager points to a computer monitor.

MIT's materials research facilities

Some 30 sophisticated tools and six research specialists support a variety of experiments across 16 departments.

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