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MIT Department of Materials Science and Engineering
MIT Department of Materials Science and Engineering

Manufacturing

Archaeological Materials

Studying how people have used materials in the past not only sheds light on ancient ways of life but can also help scientists improve materials for modern needs

Synthesis and Processing

Local and affordable fertilizers combat undernourishment in Africa

Characterization

Research sheds light on why razor blades get dull so fast, kicking off work on new steels for longer-lasting blades

Device Fabrication

Computational fabrics and fibers for “smart clothing” to monitor vital signs and give warnings of health conditions

Studying how people have used materials in the past not only sheds light on ancient ways of life but can also help scientists improve materials for modern needs

Local and affordable fertilizers combat undernourishment in Africa

Research sheds light on why razor blades get dull so fast, kicking off work on new steels for longer-lasting blades

Computational fabrics and fibers for “smart clothing” to monitor vital signs and give warnings of health conditions

New Materials, New Products

Materials science and engineering supports manufacturing by discovering the relationship between energy, matter, and time at the industrial scale. Those relationships affect the production rate and quality of finished or semi-finished goods as well as their cost and environmental impact.

At DMSE, researchers are exploring potash fertilizers for tropical soil. They’ve developed new programmable fibers that could transform clothing into wearable computers. To produce stronger, more damage-resistant metals, they investigated the simple act of shaving to determine how hard steel gets dull quickly after cutting soft hair. And by examining the past through archaeological studies, researchers can uncover insights to inform future manufacturing decisions.

DMSE researchers have developed a digital fiber that could be sewn into clothing and can collect, store, and analyze data about the wearer.

10
number of times the fiber can be washed before breaking down

Materials for the Making

Using characterization techniques to study the properties and behavior of different materials—from metals to ceramics to semiconductors—DMSE researchers design materials with specific characteristics and tailor them for a range of applications. This knowledge also enables them to develop better manufacturing processes that use materials more efficiently, reduce waste, and enhance product performance. Researchers are also using computers to design better steel alloys, for example, and improve additive manufacturing, or 3-D printing.

Related Materials and Research Types

Research Types

Computation and Design
Semiconductors
Synthesis and Processing
Device Fabrication

Materials

Metals
Ceramics
Semiconductors
Soft Matter
Archaeological Materials

Impact Stories

Making ultrastrong, ultralight material for cars on the cheap DMSE researchers have devised a way to easily make carbon fibers from refinery byproducts into materials for cars or aircraft.

Related Faculty and Researchers

Key Publications

Uncovering the effects of interface-induced ordering of liquid on crystal growth using machine learning

Employed machine learning methods and simulations to understand the role of the liquid in the solidification process.

Solidification is the process by which crystals form, usually when a liquid freezes solid (water to ice). Most solidification studies have focused on structure of the crystallite. Considerably less is understood about the role of the liquid’s structure.

Solidification drives many crucial industrial applications, including the manufacture of semiconductor wafers. Understanding the process will enable researchers to control crystal growth and, ultimately, the final properties of the materials used to manufacture products.

Microstructural and micro-mechanical characterization during hydrogen charging: An in situ scanning electron microscopy study

Developed novel methods to study the influence of hydrogen on metallic materials.

Detecting the presence of tiny hydrogen atoms in materials is difficult—so is evaluating their effects on material structure and properties. Systematic studies can best be conducted by charging the samples with hydrogen in real time while studying its effects in a scanning electron microscope.

Hydrogen embrittlement—or cracking in metals due to absorbed hydrogen—is a common phenomenon in high-strength metallic materials and a frustrating problem for many industries. Studying the process can yield techniques to slow or prevent these failures entirely.

Low-hysteresis shape-memory ceramics designed by multimode modeling

Created a category of shape-memory materials from ceramics that can operate at higher temperatures without sustaining much damage.

Shape-memory materials function as actuators, changing shape as a reaction to external stimuli such as heat. Ductile metals, popular materials in this category, withstand damage well. But their utility is limited as they do not function well at high temperatures.

Many applications, such as jet engine operations, require actuators that can withstand the stress generated by high heat. Having a single solid-state ceramic material can help in such situations. Ceramic actuators can potentially also work in microscale applications like lab-on-a-chip devices, which integrate laboratory functions on a single circuit.