Materials Science News
Explore our archive of materials science news stories.
Nov. 27, 2023
The Re-X Before Recycling Prize seeks innovations to unlock new or expanded supply chains that can reintegrate end-of-use products into a circular economy.
Sept. 6, 2023
In the darkness of night, NREL is prototyping a new device that could cut time and costs for inspections of solar installations after potentially damaging weather.
Aug. 15, 2023
The new Renewable Energy Materials Properties Database, the development of which was led by NREL, compiles information on materials used in wind and solar power plants.
July 26, 2023
Recent decades of research and development have produced highly sophisticated solar cells that generated more than 1,000 terawatt-hours of electrical energy globally in 2022.
July 12, 2023
The newly launched Wind Turbine Materials Recycling Prize, a $5.1 million competition administered by NREL, aims to help the country develop a cost-effective and sustainable domestic recycling industry for two high-impact categories of wind turbine materials to create a circular U.S. wind energy economy.
July 11, 2023
In this Manufacturing Masterminds Q&A, Sam Reese shares how she ended up traveling around the world and how she is sharing her fix-it mindset with her kids.
June 29, 2023
The Electrochemical Society has selected two researchers from the U.S. Department of Energy's NREL among this year's class of its fellows: Bryan Pivovar and Jeff Blackburn.
June 21, 2023
A thin layer of gold or silver helps improve the efficiency of perovskite solar cells, but researchers have found a less expensive material that will enable commercialization of the technology without exorbitant cost.
June 20, 2023
Builders began erecting edifices with massive walls of windows after World War II. The trend continues to this day, but the 1970s saw the adoption of double-pane windows to reduce energy consumption. Researchers at NREL have been working to improve windows since 1983.
May 24, 2023
As a materials scientist at NREL, Andriy Zakutayev manufactures materials to find new ways to control electrons, helping them carry electricity inside computers, solar panels, and smartphones.
May 2, 2023
Seven winning teams have designed conductive materials that could dramatically lower manufacturing and energy costs and make it easier for the country to reach the levels of electrification needed to meet its goal of a carbon-pollution-free economy by 2050.
April 6, 2023
Global experts on solar power strongly urge a commitment to the continued growth of photovoltaic manufacturing and deployment to power the planet, arguing that lowballing projections for PV growth while waiting for a consensus on other energy pathways or the emergence of technological last-minute miracles "is no longer an option."
March 21, 2023
A concept developed at NREL simplifies the process to manufacture perovskite solar cells, which could accelerate the path toward commercialization of the technology.
Feb. 22, 2023
NREL researchers developed a new tool, the Justice Underpinning Science and Technology Research (JUST-R) metrics framework, that aims to help researchers think more about the social impacts of technologies from the earliest stages of research and development.
Feb. 21, 2023
For three decades, researchers have known that the addition of a single chemical creates better-performing solar cells. But they have not understood exactly why—until now. The answer has implications that stretch well beyond solar cells.
Feb. 9, 2023
The use of thermochromic windows in office buildings improves energy efficiency across all climate zones in the United States by modulating the temperature inside, leading to a massive savings, according to a research effort led by NREL.
Feb. 2, 2023
NREL files an average of about 170 patent applications annually and releases roughly 48 open-source software titles.
Feb. 1, 2023
This week, NREL researchers Garry Rumbles and Matthew Beard were announced as fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).
Jan. 26, 2023
An ultrathin protective coating proves sufficient to protect a perovskite solar cell from the harmful effects of space and harden it against environmental factors on Earth, according to newly published research from NREL.
Jan. 10, 2023
NREL Materials Scientists Mou Paul and Abhishek Roy won the 2023 Polymer Science and Engineering (PMSE) Cooperative Research Award for their work in global water sustainability.
