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

Transportation and Infrastructure

Metals

Research describing how grains that make up metal form could lead to the production of stronger, lighter metal alloys

Synthesis and Processing

New batteries for non-polluting electric airplanes

Ceramics

New shape memory material that could be used in movement-controlling actuators in jet engines

Research describing how grains that make up metal form could lead to the production of stronger, lighter metal alloys

New batteries for non-polluting electric airplanes

New shape memory material that could be used in movement-controlling actuators in jet engines

Building the Future

Roads, rails, planes, and buildings are all made of complex materials, with critical needs related to climate, weight, cost, and other factors. DMSE research is forming the basis for stronger metal alloys that could be used to make lighter and more durable components for aircraft or cars. It is exploring the potential of new shape-memory materials, which can change from one shape to another simply by being warmed, in actuators that direct airflow inside aircraft engines. And projects are underway to develop batteries for electric planes, a step toward eliminating greenhouse gas emissions from air travel.

DMSE researchers are working on a battery that would enable regional commuter flights that don’t burn fuel.

400
miles planned to be covered by a battery-powered plane

Materials Research Drives Progress

DMSE researchers are making an indelible mark on transportation and infrastructure. Work is being done today to design stronger steels with the help of computers—a field pioneered at MIT called computational materials design. Researchers have devised an innovative synthesis method to make cement without greenhouse gas emissions. Yet others are exploring ways of making other construction materials from industrial waste.

Related Materials and Research Types

Research Types

Computation and Design
Synthesis and Processing
Characterization

Materials

Metals
Ceramics
Soft Matter

Related Faculty and Researchers

3D printed structures for modeling the Young’s modulus of bamboo parenchyma

Devised an alternative approach to test the mechanical properties of the various tissues in bamboo. The new method involves enlarging the tissues’ microstructure into 3-D printed models so tests can be conducted more effectively.

To model bamboo, we needed to know if its spongy parenchyma tissue behaves like a honeycomb or a foam, as their properties depend on density in different ways. Since it’s difficult to cut out samples of parenchyma tissue, we 3-D printed larger-size replica structures of different densities and mechanically tested those instead.

Because bamboo is lightweight and sustainable, there’s growing interest in its use in construction. Understanding the mechanical properties of various kinds of bamboo is key in developing safe and reliable products.

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.