Advanced materials

Topic description and stories

The demand continues for materials that are stronger, cheaper, lighter, more conductive – simply better.

Taking inspiration from nature’s brightest colours

13 Jun 2014

Intensely coloured low-cost films made from cellulose could be used in place of toxic dyes, or to detect counterfeit materials.

Ultrafast laser etching of glass for microfluidic systems

Small is beautiful: why ultra precision manufacturing is such a big deal

12 Jun 2014

Developing advanced materials is only part of the journey that leads to new technologies – we also need to manufacture them with ultra precision. The...

Perforations in super bainite make the material even better at protecting armoured vehicles from projectiles, Credit: Tata Steel

Steel’s inner strength

09 Jun 2014

A long-term collaboration between the University and industry has resulted in a super-strong form of steel, which is now being manufactured in the UK...

Collagen scaffold imaged using X-ray microtomography to reveal its 3D structure, Credit: Jennifer Ashworth

Body builders: collagen scaffolds

04 Jun 2014

Miniature scaffolds made from collagen – the ‘glue’ that holds our bodies together – are being used to heal damaged joints, and could be used to...

Advanced materials: one of the UK's “eight great technologies” for future growth

02 Jun 2014

Today, we commence a month-long focus on research on advanced materials. To begin, materials scientist Professor Mark Blamire and engineer Professor...

Revolutionary solar cells double as lasers

28 Mar 2014

Latest research finds that the trailblazing ‘perovskite’ material used in solar cells can double up as a laser, strongly suggesting the astonishing...

New use for an old ‘trouble maker’

20 Mar 2014

A ‘trouble maker’ from a bygone method of glass production could find a new use as an optical diffuser in medical laser treatments, communications...

Lifting the lid on silicon batteries

03 Feb 2014

Resolving the mystery of what happens inside batteries when silicon comes into contact with lithium could accelerate the commercialisation of next-...