https://techxplore.com/rss-feed/engineering-news/ en-us The latest news on engineering technology, engineering science, computer engineering , civil engineering, chemical engineering, aerospace engineering and environmental engineering. A team of Chinese scientists has developed a new passivation strategy that significantly improves both the efficiency and operational stability of perovskite/silicon tandem solar cells. The study has been published in the journal Matter on May 21. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-perovskitesilicon-tandem-solar-cells-certified.html Engineering Thu, 21 May 2026 16:00:06 EDT news698597161 McGill University researchers have discovered a new way to fold flat sheets into smooth, curved shells that can switch from floppy and flexible to stiff and load-bearing on demand. By designing a special origami pattern and threading cable-like elements through it, they can control the material's final three-dimensional shape and how rigid it becomes. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-origami-pattern-flat-sheets-3d.html Engineering Thu, 21 May 2026 15:40:03 EDT news698596321 Cornell engineers have developed a robotic collective that behaves less like a machine and more like a material that flows, reshapes, and adapts to its environment without centralized control. The system, called the Cross-Link Collective, consists of dozens of small robots that have limited mobility individually, but together exhibit coordinated and sustained motion. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-robotic-centralized.html Robotics Thu, 21 May 2026 13:40:06 EDT news698587802 In 2025, EPFL scientists published an improved approach to tomographic volumetric additive manufacturing (TVAM): a 3D printing method that uses laser light to harden a rotating vial of photosensitive resin into a desired shape. In that work, the researchers used holograms to encode 3D forms by modulating the alignment (phase) of light waves rather than their brightness (amplitude), as previous methods had done, preserving far more of the laser's power. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-holographic-boosts-tissue-3d-efficiency.html Engineering Thu, 21 May 2026 11:20:04 EDT news698580421 Removing carbon dioxide (CO2) directly from the air, a process called direct air capture (or DAC), is one of several approaches being developed to help reduce the concentration of this greenhouse gas in the atmosphere. Among the methods being scaled up, one of the more established involves exposing air to a strongly alkaline liquid, typically a solution of potassium hydroxide (KOH), commonly known as lye. The liquid chemically binds the CO2, converting it into dissolved salts called carbonates and bicarbonates. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-custom-device-carbon-capture-reactions.html Engineering Tue, 19 May 2026 17:20:01 EDT news698429101 Solar energy is a cornerstone of the energy transition. Tandem solar cells made of perovskite and silicon can achieve higher efficiencies than conventional silicon cells, but their industrial manufacturing remains a challenge. Researchers at Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) and the University of Valencia have now jointly further developed a fast, solvent-free vacuum process that uniformly deposits perovskite layers at high throughput, even on textured silicon surfaces. The results are published in Nature Energy. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-scalable-perovskite-photovoltaics-fast-solvent.html Engineering Tue, 19 May 2026 14:40:07 EDT news698419501 Naphtha, an essential feedstock for the petrochemical industry, has faced sharp price increases and supply instability in recent years, driving demand for sustainable alternatives. The KAIST-Hanwha Solutions Future Technology Research Institute, has secured bio-technology capable of mass-producing eco-friendly raw materials for plastics and textiles using waste resources, offering an alternative to petroleum-derived naphtha. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-microbes-biodiesel-plastic-ingredient-liter.html Engineering Tue, 19 May 2026 11:40:03 EDT news698408824 A common fungus can break down hard-to-recycle construction waste and turn it into sustainable insulation that rivals traditional and petrochemical-based options, according to researchers at the University of Bath. The research is published in the journal Scientific Reports. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-fungi-unrecyclable-carbon-insulation.html Engineering Tue, 19 May 2026 10:40:01 EDT news698405341 Researchers from IMDEA Materials Institute have developed a multifunctional Kevlar-based composite material capable of combining structural performance with integrated strain sensing, electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding and de-icing functionalities. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-multifunctional-kevlar-fabric-emi-de.html Engineering Mon, 18 May 2026 13:40:06 EDT news698329981 Researchers from the University of Bath's Department of Mechanical Engineering have shown that agricultural waste from prickly pear cactus plants could be used as a low-cost, low-carbon reinforcement for construction materials, offering a more sustainable alternative to conventional composites. The research is published in the Journal of Natural Fibers. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-pear-cacti-materials-tomorrow.html Engineering Thu, 14 May 2026 15:04:18 EDT news697989843 As robots enter hospitals and care facilities, questions remain about whether they actually make care easier for the people who give and receive it. A new Cornell Tech-led study approaches that challenge by inviting health care workers, long-term care residents, and community members to help design the robots themselves. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-robots-reveal-health-staff-patients.html Robotics Thu, 14 May 2026 11:36:00 EDT news697977317 Ideas to reduce carbon emissions often revolve around renewable power, electric vehicles and energy efficiency. But there's another, less colorful character that's often overlooked: cement. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-basalt-key-greener-cheaper-cement.html Engineering Thu, 14 May 2026 11:00:12 EDT news697884602 A Korean research team has successfully developed a technology that converts carbon dioxide (CO₂) into liquid hydrocarbons such as gasoline and naphtha, achieving pilot-scale production of 50 kg per day. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-gasoline-kilograms-day.html Engineering Tue, 12 May 2026 15:00:06 EDT news697814461 Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) researchers, in collaboration with scientists at Argonne National Laboratory, have developed a new strategy to transform low-value battery waste into a next-generation cathode material with higher energy density and strong long-term performance, offering a promising new pathway for more sustainable and economically viable battery recycling. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-life-batteries-yield-generation-cathode.html Engineering Tue, 12 May 2026 13:20:03 EDT news697810502 A technology that surpasses the limitations of existing sensors, which fail to distinguish between water and asphalt on dark roads, has emerged to enhance the accuracy of autonomous driving and medical diagnostics. A research team has developed a next-generation polarization sensor that can read the direction of light and change its own response. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-tunable-polarization-sensor-sharpen-cars.html Engineering Tue, 12 May 2026 13:00:04 EDT news697808522 A Carnegie Mellon University research team has developed a pioneering technology that manipulates thermal radiation with the precision of pixels. The work, published in Science Advances, outlines a method for "digitizing heat," allowing for the intelligent, high-speed, and continuous control of thermal emission. This breakthrough holds significant promise for applications ranging from advanced thermal camouflage to chemical sensing. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-tiny-thermal-barcode-flips-invisible.html Engineering Tue, 12 May 2026 10:20:05 EDT news697799247 Although solid-state batteries (SSBs) demonstrate high performance and are intrinsically safe, their capacity currently declines rapidly. A team from TU Wien, Humboldt-University Berlin and HZB has now analyzed a TiS₂|Li₃YCl₆ solid-state half-cell in operando at BESSY II using a special sample environment that allows for non-destructive investigation under real operating conditions. The research is published in the journal ACS Energy Letters. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-oxygen-reactions-solid-state-batteries.html Engineering Mon, 11 May 2026 12:00:05 EDT news697719195 Scientists in recent years have sought to efficiently draw moisture from ambient air and condense it into potable water using materials made of salt and absorbent polymers. But these materials, known as hydrogels, until now have degraded too quickly to be practical or cost-effective. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-solar-powered-gel-air.html Engineering Mon, 11 May 2026 09:00:03 EDT news697707841 Passive cooling systems for nuclear power plants operate without pumps or electricity: They rely solely on physical effects such as density differences to dissipate heat. Researchers at the Paul Scherrer Institute PSI have now experimentally investigated such systems for small modular reactors, collecting high-resolution measurement data for the first time. This provides an important basis for developing future generations of reactors. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-cooling-modular-reactors.html Engineering Thu, 07 May 2026 13:00:01 EDT news697377188 There is something universally appealing about the slap bracelet, and the way a simple tap causes it to switch between a straight shape and a curled one. What you probably didn't know is that a slap bracelet's satisfying snap is the same principle behind bistable structures. These can toggle between two stable positions (one representing 0 and the other 1) to store data directly within their physical forms as mechanical bits (m-bits). https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-scientists-materials.html Engineering Wed, 06 May 2026 15:20:04 EDT news697297809 All-perovskite tandem solar cells are promising candidates for next-generation photovoltaics, as they harvest sunlight more efficiently than single-junction devices and can be fabricated through low-temperature solution processing. However, their performance is often limited by asynchronous crystallization in multicomponent perovskite films, in which different parts of the system crystallize at different times. This leads to compositional and structural unevenness, which reduces device efficiency and stability. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-chemical-hardness-boosts-perovskite-tandem.html Engineering Wed, 06 May 2026 15:00:06 EDT news697297561 Good electrochemical energy storage (EES) devices such as rechargeable batteries and supercapacitors can store a lot of energy and release it quickly, but these design goals are often at odds with each other. Using design optimization and 3D printing, a team led by engineers and scientists at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) has overcome this tradeoff and demonstrated a 3D-printed electrode design for EES that maximizes storage capacity under practical conditions. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-3d-interlocking-electrodes-optimization-potential.html Engineering Tue, 05 May 2026 17:20:06 EDT news697218361 Building upon the chemistry that oysters use in miles-long reefs, scientists have found a way to create cement that is stronger and cures faster. Jonathan Wilker, a professor of chemistry in Purdue University's College of Science and an expert in adhesives and biomimetic materials innovation, has long been interested in formulating new, more sustainable and better materials. Recent work from his research group has included using nature as an inspiration for sustainable, affordable adhesives. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-oyster-cement-scientists-shellfish-stronger.html Engineering Tue, 05 May 2026 14:40:03 EDT news697209722 Materials can store information about their past—like a crease in a piece of paper that has been unfolded is a "memory" of being folded—that can be retrieved or read out and used for various purposes. In everyday life, combination locks must remember the turns of the dial to open, and the memory of specialized materials is used to make airplanes safer, electronics more efficient and bridges stronger and more resilient. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-cassette-tapes-adhesive-tape-memory.html Engineering Tue, 05 May 2026 09:01:28 EDT news697190416 In 1985, the Innovative Design Fund placed an ad in Scientific American offering up to $10,000 to support clever prototypes for clothing, home decor, and textiles. William Freeman Ph.D., then an electrical engineer at Polaroid and now an MIT professor, saw it and submitted a novel idea: a three-sided zipper. Instead of fastening pants, it'd be like a switch that seamlessly flipped chairs, tents, and purses between soft and rigid states, making them easier to pack and put together. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-year-technology-enables-sided-zipper.html Consumer & Gadgets Mon, 04 May 2026 16:00:04 EDT news697126765 At high speeds, even the smallest movement can have major consequences. When an aircraft tilts sharply during flight, the air around it does not flow smoothly. It twists into powerful, swirling currents that can destabilize the entire vehicle. These swirling structures, known as vortices, can behave unpredictably, sometimes causing aircraft to pull to one side or rotate unexpectedly. In extreme cases, they can damage critical components such as sensors or wing flaps. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-flight-angles-affect-turbulence.html Engineering Mon, 04 May 2026 15:20:02 EDT news697125241 The way bugs and birds flap their wings may look effortless, but the dynamics that keep them aloft are dizzyingly complex and difficult to quantify. Cornell researchers have created a computational model that shows the effect of insects' morphology on stabilizing their flight. The findings could lead to a new way to understand the evolution of animal flight while also providing a blueprint for designing flapping-wing robots. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-insect-flight-stable-wing-robots.html Robotics Mon, 04 May 2026 13:20:09 EDT news697118461 An international study with EPFL researchers suggests that large reductions in carbon emissions from cement and steel building materials may be achievable by 2050 using already-existing construction technologies. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-tech-emissions-growth.html Engineering Mon, 04 May 2026 10:40:03 EDT news697106701 Termite mounds are remarkable structures that regulate temperature, balance airflow, and maintain structural stability in some of Earth's harshest climates. And like other irregular, disordered systems, they can be difficult to replicate with modern engineering techniques. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-hidden-math-link-fantastic.html Engineering Mon, 04 May 2026 10:00:09 EDT news697106461 Safer and more environmentally friendly indoor solar panels could soon help power electronics in homes and offices, thanks to University of Queensland researchers. A team of chemical engineers led by UQ's Dr. Miaoqiang Lyu and Professor Lianzhou Wang have developed a new fabrication method that eliminates the need for toxic lead and other hazardous solvents in perovskite indoor solar panels. The findings are published in the journal ACS Energy Letters. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-04-toxic-solar-panels-indoors.html Engineering Thu, 30 Apr 2026 17:20:05 EDT news696787201