MIT
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May 27
- New fuel cell could enable electric aviation
➀ MIT researchers developed a sodium-air fuel cell with 3x higher energy density than lithium-ion batteries, potentially enabling electric aviation;
➁ The system uses liquid sodium and air, produces sodium bicarbonate as a carbon-capturing byproduct, and addresses safety through separated reactants;
➂ Startup Propel Aero aims to commercialize the technology for regional flights and drones, with a 1,000 Wh/kg prototype targeted within a year.
May 22
- MIT physicists discover a new type of superconductor that’s also a magnet
➀ MIT physicists discovered a chiral superconductor in rhombohedral graphene that exhibits both superconductivity and intrinsic magnetism;
➁ The material switches between superconducting states under magnetic fields, challenging traditional views on superconductors and magnetism;
➂ This discovery in graphite's unique structure offers insights into quantum interactions and potential applications in topological superconductors and quantum computing.
April 4
- Tabletop factory-in-a-box makes hands-on manufacturing education more accessible➀ MIT and Tecnológico de Monterrey collaborate on FrED Factory; ➁ FrED Factory serves as an educational platform for manufacturing scale-up; ➂ Students gain insights into scaling manufacturing operations through hands-on experience.
April 3
- Engineers develop a way to mass manufacture nanoparticles that deliver cancer drugs directly to tumors➀ MIT researchers develop a manufacturing technique for mass-producing polymer-coated nanoparticles for cancer drug delivery; ➁ The new method allows for larger quantities of nanoparticles to be produced in less time; ➂ The technology has potential applications in clinical trials and commercialization, initially focusing on abdominal cancers.
- Cem Tasan to lead the Materials Research Laboratory➀ C. Cem Tasan has been appointed as the director of MIT’s Materials Research Laboratory (MRL) effective March 15; ➁ Tasan succeeds Lionel “Kim” Kimerling, who has been the interim director since Carl Thompson stepped down in August 2023; ➂ As director, Tasan will lead MRL’s research mission, focusing on strengthening internal collaboration and building upon the lab’s industry engagement.
March 28
- Mapping the future of metamaterials➀ Metamaterials are engineered materials with unique properties; ➁ Challenges in design, fabrication, and characterization limit their potential; ➂ Advances in scalable fabrication and AI-driven design could revolutionize industries.
March 17
- Artificial muscle flexes in multiple directions, offering a path to soft, wiggly robots➀ MIT engineers develop a method to grow artificial muscle tissue that twitches and flexes in multiple coordinated directions; ➁ The artificial iris demonstrates the first skeletal muscle-powered robot that generates force in more than one direction; ➂ The stamping method can be used to grow complex patterns of muscle and potentially other types of biological tissues.
March 4
- Designing better ways to deliver drugs➀ Louis DeRidder's near-death experience at 12 sparked his interest in medicine; ➁ His high school program led to a deep fascination with drug delivery to the brain; ➂ DeRidder's research at Johns Hopkins University focused on nanoparticle-drug conjugates for neurodegenerative diseases; ➃ At Harvard-MIT, he developed CLAUDIA, a device for personalized drug dosing during chemotherapy; ➄ DeRidder's work involves MATLAB and Simulink for modeling drug pharmacokinetics; ➅ He aims to move CLAUDIA towards clinical use and potentially start a company for commercialization; ➆ In addition, DeRidder is developing new nanoparticles for therapeutic nucleic acid delivery; ➇ He balances research with community service, helping the homeless in Boston; ➈ His long-term goals include developing treatments for neurological diseases and cancer.
January 7
- New filter captures and recycles aluminum from manufacturing waste➀ MIT engineers develop a new nanofiltration process to reduce hazardous waste from aluminum production; ➁ The membrane selectively captures more than 99 percent of aluminum ions in lab-scale experiments; ➂ If implemented, the technology could reduce wasted aluminum and improve waste environmental quality.
January 4
- MIT affiliates awarded 2024 National Medals of Science, Technology➀ Four MIT faculty members received the National Medal of Science and Technology; ➁ Angela Belcher and Emery Brown were awarded the National Medal of Science; ➂ Paula Hammond and Feng Zhang received the National Medal of Technology and Innovation.
November 21
- Tunable ultrasound propagation in microscale metamaterials➀ Researchers from MIT and other institutions have developed a design framework for controlling ultrasound wave propagation in microscale acoustic metamaterials; ➁ The framework involves precisely positioning microscale spheres to tune how ultrasound waves travel through 3D microscale metamaterials; ➂ The work enables tunable elastic-wave velocities within microscale materials and demonstrates an acoustic demultiplexer, paving the way for microscale devices useful for ultrasound imaging or information transmission.
November 19
- MIT physicists predict exotic form of matter with potential for quantum computing➀ MIT physicists predict the creation of an exotic form of matter that could be used to form qubits for more powerful quantum computers; ➁ The discovery is based on materials that allow electrons to split into fractions without a magnetic field; ➂ Non-Abelian anyons, which have the ability to 'remember' their spacetime trajectories, could be created in moiré materials composed of molybdenum ditelluride.
November 4
- Nanoscale transistors could enable more efficient electronics➀ Silicon transistors face a physical limit known as 'Boltzmann tyranny' that affects energy efficiency; ➁ MIT researchers developed 3D transistors using ultrathin semiconductor materials to overcome this limit; ➂ The new transistors operate efficiently at lower voltages and have the potential to replace silicon in electronics for better energy efficiency.
October 31
- “Wearable” devices for cells➀ MIT researchers develop wearable devices for individual cells; ➁ These subcellular-sized devices are battery-free and made of a soft polymer; ➂ They can measure or modulate a neuron’s electrical and metabolic activity at a subcellular level.
October 15
- MIT team takes a major step toward fully 3D-printed active electronics➀ MIT researchers have demonstrated fully 3D-printed resettable fuses, key components of active electronics; ➁ The devices are made using standard 3D printing hardware and an inexpensive, biodegradable material; ➂ While not performing as well as silicon-based transistors, they could be used for basic control operations like regulating the speed of an electric motor.
October 11
- Tiny magnetic discs offer remote brain stimulation without transgenes➀ MIT researchers report on magnetic nanodiscs for non-invasive brain stimulation; ➁ The nanodiscs could be injected into the brain and activated by an external magnetic field; ➂ The technology could lead to therapies without implants or genetic modification.
July 30
- MIT spinout Arnasi begins applying LiquiGlide no-stick technology to help patients➀ Arnasi Group, formerly known as LiquiGlide, is developing biomedical products leveraging their no-stick technology; ➁ Their first product, Revel, is a lubricant for ostomy pouches, simplifying the cleaning process and preventing clogging; ➂ Revel has received positive feedback from nurses and patients, and the company plans to apply the technology to prevent infections in implants and catheters, and to assist those with cystic fibrosis.
October 6
- Modeling Relationships to Solve Complex Problems Efficiently➀ Associate Professor Julian Shun develops high-performance algorithms and frameworks for large-scale graph processing; ➁ His work focuses on finding the shortest path between objects in a network and detecting fraudulent transactions; ➂ Shun's algorithms leverage parallel computing to analyze massive graphs efficiently; ➃ He has developed user-friendly programming frameworks to facilitate efficient graph algorithm development; ➄ Shun's research includes clustering algorithms and dynamic graph algorithms for real-world applications.