Materials Science

Stanford smart windows darken and lighten fast

New smart windows designed by Stanford engineers can change from transparent to dark or back again in under a minute depending on the light. The technology could be used in buildings, cars and even sunglasses.

High pressure key to lighter, stronger metal alloys

Subjecting complex metal mixtures called high-entropy alloys to extremely high pressures could lead to finer control over the arrangement of their atoms, which in turn can result in more desirable properties.

Artificial synapse for neural networks

A new organic artificial synapse made by Stanford researchers could support computers that better recreate the way the human brain processes information. It could also lead to improvements in brain-machine technologies.

Uranium from seawater factors into nuclear power

As the world shifts from fossil fuels, additional sources of energy-on-demand will be needed to make up for lulls in wind or solar. A new way of extracting uranium from seawater could help even countries without uranium mines harness nuclear power in the post-carbon energy future.