Materials science
Superconductors, 2D materials and engineered materials that could change technology.
- WikiElectron ptychographyElectron ptychography uses scattered electrons and algorithms to image atoms at record resolution. How it works and why materials scientists use it.Updated
- WikiLK-99: the room-temperature superconductor that wasn'tLK-99 was claimed in July 2023 as a room-temperature superconductor. How replication showed otherwise within weeks, and the lessons for science.Updated
- WikiThe Materials ProjectThe Materials Project is an open, DOE-funded database of computed materials properties, now the hub for AI-driven materials discovery.Updated
- WikiMetamaterials and metasurfacesMetamaterials get their properties from engineered structure, not chemistry. Negative refraction, cloaking, and flat metalenses now in phones.Updated
- WikiNickelate superconductorsNickel-oxide superconductors are the fastest-moving high-temperature family. Pressure records to 96 K and thin films at 63 K without pressure.Updated
- WikiPerovskite-silicon tandem solar cellsPerovskite-on-silicon tandem cells beat the single-junction efficiency limit. Records to 35.5%, the first commercial modules, and what is unproven.Updated
- WikiTopological insulators and topological materialsTopological materials have properties fixed by mathematics, such as protected surface currents. What they are and why quantum computing cares.Updated
- WikiTwisted bilayer graphene and twistronicsTwisting two graphene sheets to a "magic angle" makes a superconductor. How twistronics works and its 2023-2026 fractional quantum Hall results.Updated
- AnalysisHas AI discovered new materials? The debate over GNoME and A-LabAI has predicted millions of crystals and robots have tried to make them. Why chemists dispute the claims, and what would count as proof.Updated
- AnalysisPerovskite solar: ready for rooftops, or still a lab record?Perovskite-silicon tandems set efficiency records, but can they last decades outdoors? The evidence on durability and commercial readiness compared.Updated
- AnalysisRoom-temperature superconductors: how close, and how to tell?After LK-99 and a retracted Nature paper, how close is room-temperature superconductivity, and what evidence should convince us? Views compared.Updated
- ExplainerHow 2D materials work: graphene, stacks and twistsGraphene and other atom-thin crystals behave unlike bulk materials. How they are made, stacked and twisted, and what they could do for chips.Updated
- ExplainerHow perovskite solar cells workPerovskites are cheap-to-make crystals that turn light into electricity. How they work, why tandems beat silicon, and why durability is the catch.Updated
- ExplainerHow superconductivity worksSuperconductors carry current with zero loss below a critical temperature. What they are, why cooling matters, and the 2026 temperature records.Updated