Materials Science

The search for room-temperature superconductors has suffered scandalous setbacks, but physicists are optimistic about the field’s future

One of the world’s most prestigious science journals has retracted a major paper from embattled superconductivity researcher Ranga Dias

Three scientists won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for their discovery of quantum dots, an entirely new class of material that is used in large-screen TVs and cancer surgery

Scientists are now growing mycelium, the fungal root network, into fire-retardant sheets to provide a safer, nontoxic way to protect buildings

Scientists accidentally discover metals that mend themselves without human intervention

The rise and fall of LK-99 offers a lesson on how to consider technology’s role in urgently needed energy transitions

Researchers say they have discovered a new room-temperature ambient-pressure superconductor, but many scientists are unconvinced

Allegations of data fabrication have sparked the retraction of multiple papers from Ranga Dias, a researcher who claimed discovery of a room-temperature superconductor

Electronics that can bend, stretch and repair themselves could potentially work in applications ranging from tougher robots to smart clothes

A new electrically conductive material could lead to better self-healing soft robots

A new material was used in a simple snail robot, but it could one day make artificial nervous systems for more complex machines

Quantum bursts of light could help examine minute chemical reactions and reveal the quantum properties of mysterious materials